Raven Moon
by Eostra
Summary: [IYFG Winner - 2nd Place] Kagome is a priestess with an unusual ability: she can travel into death. Inexperience makes battling the dead a tall order, but maybe the hanyou she found can lend a hand? [AU, Incomplete]
1. Unsettled Times

**Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha and all characters, settings, etc. Not me. I'm trying to put myself through first year university, so pretty please don't sue me. The plot, however, is mine. **

A/N: Hey everyone, my name's Leo, and this is my pride and joy and first fic! I've got the rating down right now, but this will probably jump to 'R' in later chapters due to violence and swearing, just to play it safe. I've heard a lot about stories being deleted because of supposed mis-ratings, so I want to avoid that.

This is a sort of fantasy/horror hybrid inspired by the Garth Nix _Sabriel_ series (if you like fantasy, I'd recommend it). So, without further ado, here's the fic, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

"_So you think I'm not to be trusted?" _

_Twang. The cord on her bow vibrated and blurred, but his eyes were on the arrow she had let loose. It was caught deep in the bark of a tree, the shaft sticking straight out of the middle of a crudely painted circle. A perfect bull's eye. _

_She shifted, letting her hands fall to her sides, and watched him intently. _

_"No humans can be trusted," he said, moving further into the bushes. Should she make a move, just a twitch, he'd be gone in a moment. It didn't matter that no arrow was nocked in that bow. Humans were a tricky bunch, priestesses especially. _

_"Inuyasha," she smiled, "if I had wanted to hurt you, I would have done so already." When she smiled like that, her features softened. She often looked cold and distant – pale skin and black hair, dark eyes and impossible beauty – a snow priestess, a winter goddess. When she smiled, though, her features warmed and softened. Warmed and saddened. Her smiles were so very bittersweet it hurt to watch. _

"_Keh, what are you saying? You think I'm that weak?" he scoffed, leveling a golden glare her way. If possible, her expression darkened and lightened at the same time. He wasn't much for conversation, but what little she'd managed to get out of him always rounded on the same themes. Weak. Stupid. Inferior. Monster. Outcast. Hanyou. _

_Lonely._

_"No, not at all. It's true, though: had I the intention, the will, I would have put my arrows through you long ago."_

_She was stating a fact, not unkindly, and he looked away. Her footsteps crunched and whispered as she approached, but he didn't run, only flinched. Not afraid, just educated. Close calls with humans were all filed under 'bad memories' for him. _

_"But you could have hurt me too, Inuyasha."_

* * *

**Raven Moon: Ch. 1, Unsettled Times**

_Author: Cyan I'd_

_Beta: Special thanks to Sashi and Alex!_

* * *

"Ugh..." she moaned, one pale hand tossed over her forehead and the other lying across her stomach. She stared dully at the roof, thinking about how sick she felt, how sore she was, and how absolutely exhausting everything had become. They hadn't had this much trouble for _years_.

_"Kagome-chan, do just like I taught you, and you'll be fine! We need you now! The village needs us both!"_

Rolling over was a little more strenuous than it used to be, but she managed alright, putting her back to the overly-cheerful morning sunshine. In her opinion, _nothing_ should be that happy and uplifting unless she was too, and that included nature.

She tried drifting back to sleep, but she couldn't seem to take her mind away from the sounds of the temple beyond: a child's cry, a woman's moan, a man's near-desperate prayers. Then her mother's voice, chastising and disappointed, rang through her head. _Kagome, _mind-mother scolded, _how can you just sleep in bed when there are people that need your help?_ Kagome groaned again and pulled herself up. Of course, her _real_ mother would never say that, because her real mother would respect Kagome's need to rest after the events of the previous night.

"Probably just my own inner voice of guilt," Kagome grumbled to herself, "with a weird-ass psychological reason for _sounding_ like my mother."

Groggily, she pulled on some loose clothes and stepped out into the hall, making her way towards the sound of voices and the scent of herbs. The old wooden floorboards creaked under her weight as she brushed past ancient tapestries and old water stains. This place hadbeen here for centuries, and, in Kagome's opinion, had aged pretty well over all that time.

Inside the main room, bodies littered the floor. Some were groaning, some were unconscious, and some were talking softly with family or friends, but all were in need of care. They stretched out carefully on mats with thick blankets thrown over them. A full fire blazed in the pyre to make sure everyone stayed warm and comfortable. Kagome had to take a little detour around a whole family that clustered about their critically injured father before she could make her way towards her mother, the sole calm center in this place where death was a worry and a whisper.

"Mama..." she called softly. Her mother was stooped over a child, setting the little boy's arm in a sling. Kagome let her gaze travel over the small body, faintly remembering him from the night before. He'd been attacked by a serpent youkai, his arm slashed and bent by a blow meant to take his little head from his shoulders.

_"Watch out!" she screamed, and fired off another arrow, automatically taking the wind direction and speed into account. With a solid thunk, it lodged into the youkai's chest, sending the scaled and thrashing nightmare tumbling back with an inhuman scream. _

_"What were you thinking?" she asked the little boy, breathless in her worry._

_"I'm... I wanted... Papa was fighting alone..." he sobbed._

'Papa' now waited inside the small shack near the back of the shrine's property, wrapped in a thick black sheet. There were roughly twenty-seven others just like him.

"Oh, Kagome... you're up. How do you feel?" her mother asked. Kagome smiled for her mother's sake, taking in the dark circles, drooping shoulders, and weary voice. Her mother looked just as bad as she herself must look, even though she'd had a full night's sleep. The older woman hadn't caught a wink; instead, she was tending to the newly injured.

_I have to get stronger... so I can help her._

"I'm alright, mama. Are there any herbs you need?" she asked. Her mother brushed her hands off on the long skirt she was wearing, then stood, making her way towards a small chest against the back wall. It used to stand near the front entrance with the shrine's bandages and water jugs, but everything – altar, offering table, chairs, etc. – was shoved up against the walls now to make room for the sick and injured.

"Hmm... some more Astragalus would be nice... Comfrey and Lomatium. I think that's all."

Kagome nodded, trying to remember what Comfrey looked like.

"And Kagome? Thanks. You're a great help," her mother said, giving an appreciative smile.

"Mama," Kagome shifted uncomfortably, "I didn't do anything, _really._"

Her mother waved her off absently.

"Nonsense, Kagome-chan, you were great. Now, get moving, I don't want to see you moping around here a second longer," her mother said, and shuffled off to go tend some other poor soul. Kagome sighed, running a hand through her hair before making her way out the door.

Her sandals clapped on the stone steps as she made her way down and into the village. The shrine itself was on the tallest hill overlooking the small settlement, therefore considered to be a sort of watch tower and safe haven, what with the holy ground and two miko (mother and daughter) and all.The path she'd chosen would take her through the heart of the village, down a dirt path and into the nearby woods where she would hopefully find all the herbs her mother needed.

As she passed the archery practice grounds, she scooped up a bow and quiver that had been discarded in the grass – it would be a good idea to be prepared since she was headed into the woods on her own. She was a very good shot, too – of all her mother's lessons, that was the one she picked up the fastest. With the strap over her shoulder, she picked up the pace and made her way into the busy town, listening to the crack of wood and the bangs of hammers and shouts. Over all that familiar noise, there was a loud whirring and clanking.

Last night's youkai attack was the third in just four days, giving credence to the talk of strangers that stopped by the inns. Travelers spoke of upheaval in distant lands, increased youkai sightings and strange disappearances and disturbances. Kagome didn't know what all this meant, but she hoped that it would all pass her and her little village over.

"Oi, miko-sama!"

"Oi, Kagome-sama!"

Kagome smiled and waved back, inwardly grimacing. The ones who had called to her were none other than the Omuhashi family. They were lucky enough to still have all five family members, but unfortunately, no house – and at the rate things were going, they would never have a home again. The first of the strange recent youkai attacks had toppled their wooden homestead, the next had undone all the repairs they'd started after that first loss, and the next, and the next... Kagome was pretty sure that they hadn't been missed _once_.

_At least they still look sort of cheerful..._

Just down the lane was something that was unquestionably out of place. The small village was filled with little wooden homes and simple wooden carts, built and maintained with tools that were made from the bones of slain youkai, animals, or whatever metal they could mine or buy. However, near one house stood a large mess of shaking metal and chattering bolts, a thing with a square base and one long arm that reached up and over the half-repaired home. A pully with a thick wire cable was attached to bundled planks of wood on one end and ran down into the contraption on the other.

It was called 'machina'.

Kagome's village never once was accused of being ahead of the times. In fact, it was quite far behind – further off to the west, marvelous leaps of ingenuity and cunning were taking place. They were creating things that people could ride in, albeit slowly, and things that could heat water. They'd come up with a way to throw their voices to one another over great distances (which Kagome was a little skeptical about), and freeze a moment in time on a thin piece of paper.

About a month ago, a traveling man had come to her village with an ox-drawn cart. Inside the cart he had boxes lined with straw and stashed with machina, only small examples of the wonders of the western inventions. He immediately demonstrated his wares to the village head, who, in turn, took an immediate distrust to them. Not that Kagome blamed him or anything; the 'up-lifter', as it was called, made a terrible racket. It banged and clapped loud enough to bring down the snow on the mountain as it trembled and spluttered. The villagers (except for the man operating it) kept their distance. The women occasionally made warding signs and walked a little faster as they passed.

The village leader had bought only three pieces of machina that day: the 'up-lifter' (which was brought separately a couple of weeks later), a 'turn' which would turn the soil after the harvest, and a 'washer'. The washer was given to the temple Kagome herself lived in, so that they might be able to clean the cloth bandages rather than burning them all the time. Her mother used it once then quietly set the machina in the corner, taking to burning cloths once more. Souta had dubbed it 'Stutter-Banger', which, Kagome had to admit, was a very apt name for the thing. That one time they had used it, it scared her grandfather up a tree (figuratively) and shook two wall scrolls down (literally).

"Why, if you live amongst such marvels, do you still use the traditional ox and wagon to travel?" the village leader had asked the man.

"Because it frightens the village people to arrive in a 'mover'," the man had replied.

Ignoring the 'modern masterpiece', Kagome turned off the main road and made her way down a smaller path that wound between older huts and herb gardens. With the clanks and groans of the up-lifter behind her, she pulled her bow out to the ready and fisted one arrow, turning her attention to her surroundings.

She wasn't tense or afraid while walking these woods. She had grown up in these lands with her mother, the most skilled miko in the area (or so she heard), and had learned well the ways to defend herself and her people. It was experience she lacked, and experience she desired – maybe if she was more skilled, fewer would have been lost in the attack last night...

"But I shouldn't think like that..." she said aloud.

Kagome squared her shoulders and raised her chin, pointedly ignoring the wariness laced in her limbs. Her mother was counting on her to get those herbs, and she wouldn't let her down.

These woods were older than the village, and full of secrets. The trees were tall and thick, vines and creepers milling about their roots and spiraling up to the tallest branches. Even at high noon it was cool beneath the canopy. Patches of sun scattered here and there and served as the only available source for the light-starved saplings. There were a few paths that cut through the trees, but everywhere else was wild and untamed. That was where the danger lie – stumbling across a bear protective of her cub, or a wolf.

Or a demon.

True, this forest was calm – had been for many years – but with this new unsettlement rippling through the lands, one could never be sure. That was why Kagome was extra careful this morning, keeping her bow and arrow handy and letting her senses stretch beyond their normal perceptions.

The shadows were nothing but shallow and cool.

_Maybe I am overreacting...?_

Kagome expressed her fears to her mother a few days before, confessing that the brooding forest worried her. Higurashi-sama had laughed, telling her daughter not to worry. The older woman grew up living next to those trees, and never once had they sheltered a youkai – perhaps because of the watchful eyes of the temple? At any rate, they were safe grounds, and while one should always be on their guard, for the most part youkai came from farther away in the mountains and attacked the village directly.

Kagome sighed and hooked her bow over her shoulder once more, stooping beside a small herb. It was Astragalus, and felt cool and comforting as she ran her fingertips over the smooth leaves. She was careful to select only a few of the larger bottom leaves, unwilling to harvest the plant to death, and made a small collection that should last them another couple days at least. She stood from where she had knelt, brushing bits of dirt and grass off her knees, and adjusted the weapons she had brought. She probably should have brought a knife or something, too, since arrows were only really good for far-off enemies. She sighed. Then her eyes widened.

_Wha...?_

That smell... sweet but putrid, faint, and unmistakable. Fighting a growing sense of panic, she started off running through the woods away from the path. She cleared fallen logs and branches easily, but a few snagged on her clothes and hair as she rushed past, clamping a hand over her mouth and nose as the smell got stronger.

She knew this stench, knew it as well as any of the villagers did. After all, on more than one occasion a culprit had forgotten to properly dispose of the leftover meat from a hunt and the resulting reek soaked into the wood of the slaughterhouse and hovered in the village for days on end.

_Rotting meat...!_

It could mean nothing, but it could also mean everything. It was possible that some wolf's unfinished dinner was decomposing in the bushes, but unlikely. Kagome had to slow to a brisk walk to try to give her stomach a break. It was lurching dangerously. She actually did gag when she saw a limp white hand starkly contrasting with the dewy forest floor. Just the hand, pinky and ring fingernails torn off, and dirt caught in the lines of the palm and fingerprints.

After she had managed to recover herself somewhat, Kagome easily tracked down the rest of the body. It was sprawled in a small depression in the earth, one arm stretched out, the other flopped over the torso. It's face was turned away, thankfully, but Kagome could still tell it was a woman. The strange part? She was not from anywhere near here. Her clothes, ground with mud and torn as they were, hailed from someplace to the North, made of thicker fabric and more ornate than the things they wore around these parts.

Kagome tensed, pulling out her arrows once more and stretching her senses as far as she could. This woman was not dressed for traveling. She was from very, _very_ far away. There were claw marks and chunks torn out of her skin. She must have been dragged here by something big and deadly and most likely still lurking in the area.

_But where...? _

Her eyes widened in realization. _No! How could I have been so stupid to miss that?!_

Now that she was looking for it, the small kernel of youki was plain as day in her mind's eye. It was compressed, trying to shadow its presence from alerting its prey, but it was big enough to pose a problem should it actually manage to reach the village. Speaking of which, the youkai was _between_ Kagome and her home, when really it should have been the other way around.

"No! No, no!" she cried, terror making her heart pound. They couldn't fend off another, not so soon. She had to stop it _before_ it got close enough to the settlement to do any real damage.

Whirling, she leapt nimbly over a toppled sapling, her weariness forgotten in her haste to head off the youkai. As she went crashing through the underbrush, she didn't see the head of the corpse – maggots weaving their way through the skin and hair – loll to the side and watch her retreat with black, soulless eyes.

Kagome raised her arms to protect her face from snapping branches and tried to reign in her blossoming terror. The youkai was moving slowly, she could tell, trying to creep up on the village – so that meant it didn't know she was coming from behind. If she took the river path that branched to the right, she should be able to head it off well away from any other people – provided it didn't pick up speed, of course. As she sifted through the sensation of the youkai's aura, something akin to alarm began to make her head pound. There was something... off. The youki she felt was most definitely a demon's, most likely a more primitive one – centipede? Mantis? – but it just felt _wrong_. Never in her experience had she run across an aura with quite the same taint as this one, though, so she couldn't tell exactly what was bothering her. There was nothing for it except to charge in and hope for the best.

She turned and crashed down the river trail, blessedly free of growth because of its use, and sprinted as fast as she could manage with the help of adrenaline pounding in her veins. The youkai was to her right, and apparently aware of her presence if its shrill scream and rapidly flaring aura were anything to go by.

_"Kagome-chan, do just like I taught you, and you'll be fine!"_

_I hope you're right, mama. Here goes..._

She abruptly turned, crashed through the narrow line of bushes and trees between her and her target, and fired off an arrow she had prepared. Then, she just stared in stupefied horror. The arrow blew a chunk out of a raging snake demon, but she didn't congratulate herself or prepare another.

She finally understood what that strange twist in the youkai's aura was.

* * *

_This place was very cold... he could barely move his fingers. He could still feel that ghostly water, though, lapping gently at his numbed hands and feet. It soaked through his clothes, through his skin, and settled where natural things could not reach. He breathed ice and blinked at a starry sky, never lit by sunlight, but never darkening all the same. He stared not at his surroundings, because he'd seen it all before, but at the memories that still clouded his thoughts each and every day. He felt sick, he felt worn and faded, he swallowed screams and he had given up on drawing his own blood long ago. Now there was nothing but time and himself, but even that was better than what waited below. _

_He was a fool, but not stupid. _

_Then he felt it... a small tug. A gentle pulling that had all the effect of standing on the edge of a vast ocean. _

_'Hey... wake up.'_

* * *

One eye dangled loosely from a bloated eye socket. The jaws stretched wider than they should have been able to – the skin at the corners of the lips was torn, but not bloody. In fact, not a single cut or burn oozed blood – but that only made sense. How could blood flow if the heart no longer beat to pump it?

Kagome's fingers seized around the smooth wood of the bow. Her feet were rooted to the spot as she simply stared in growing horror at the raging serpent youkai. It let out another shriek, and she flinched, a scream lodged in her throat and making it hard to breath. She didn't know how to fight this thing. Youkai, she could handle, but this? She could purify it all she wanted to, but it wouldn't make a difference – that kind of magic couldn't reach a dead soul. The cold and rotting flesh would remain untouched and quite animated. Whatever it was that bound this thing to the living world was beyond her meager ability.

She knew she had to face it. She also knew she didn't stand a chance, even as she drew her arrow with a shaking arm and set her sights on the still and silent heart. She had to try though, because the only other alternative to that was giving up – and that just wasn't possible with so many lives on the line. Kagome knew for a fact that her mother wouldn't be able to face this foe either.

She fired. The arrow sunk into her enemy with a wet crack that reminded her of mud being slapped. This only served to further enrage the already rampaging youkai, zeroing its focus on the lone girl that stood between it and the throbbing pulse of _lives _present in the village beyond. If it had its way, it would swallow those lives whole, make them a part of itself, if even for an instant before death snatched them too. One who is dead constantly yearns to be alive once more.

It slid through the grass with surprising ease, sliding the bloated remnants of its tail forward to circle the girl before she even had a chance to scream. It coiled and tightened, widened its great jaws, greedy for the warmth and the breath that its prey possessed. Kagome, with her arms pressed against her side, squeezed her eyes shut, trying to focus on something – anything – to get her out of this. She tried not to think about the cold and clammy meat sliding against her exposed arms, the putrid stench as it leaned forward with the jaws wide open.

_No! Nononononono!_

She could barely breath – but was that because of panic or the crushing coils of the undead snake?

Its aura was cold and uncomfortable, black – the sort of shadow that conceals all the things you don't want to know about it. Kagome couldn't get away from it; it pressed in on all sides and left her shivering violently. She was suffocating, about to be eaten alive, and failing all her loved ones. Her fingers twitched for the dropped bow and arrows, too far away in the long green grass.

It was just as the snake was preparing to close its jaws around her that she felt it. A small tugging on the whole of the youkai's aura, insistent yet not strong enough to overcome whatever drove it forward. Desperate, Kagome locked onto that little tug, throwing all her considerable spiritual strength behind it. Ice shot up her veins, she couldn't breath at all, and then she felt like she was falling. The youkai was falling away, falling apart, pushed fully into the force of that other power – and she was being pulled right along with it.

Water lapped gently against her cold, white body. She opened her eyes to shades of grey, endless in all directions and shifting into a starry sky up above. With a start, she recalled the serpent youkai, that cold and dead aura, and the feeling of falling away from everything warm and embraceable.

"—where?!" she cried, sitting bolt upright. Water roughly ankle deep covered what appeared to be ice, completely flat, and stretched for as far as she could see in every direction. Everything was grey, nothing was defined – it was like being trapped between sleeping and waking, except that never lasted this long. She could see dark shapes moving beneath the ice, but some primitive instinct screamed for her to look away, and she obeyed.

"Where... am I?" she wondered aloud.

"Well," a voice replied, "that's a stupid question."

Kagome started, glancing wildly around until her panicked gaze fell on a lone boy, dark and surreal and standing with limp arms and blank eyes just to her left. His lips twisted into a humorless smirk, but his eyes remained flat and lifeless.

"Stupid bitch. You're in death."

* * *

_End Chapter 1_

* * *

Leo: Well, there it was. I hope you all enjoyed it! Special thanks to my betas Sashi and Alex, who courageously warded off my arch nemesis, procrastination. If you liked, didn't like, or just have the time, drop me a line! That's what that little review button is for . 


	2. River Styx

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters, plot, settings, etc. The storyline used here, however, is _mine_. -glares possessively-

* * *

The shakujou jangled with each step, accompanied by a soft rustling of grass and fabric. Here, the sun was high and bright, blinding those who were unfortunate enough to be without shade. A robed monk traveled cautiously, cutting through a field that stretched parallel to the main road, occasionally picking his way through bunches of trees when they cropped up. He chose the more difficult, uneven terrain out of fear for his goods – machina, packed close together on a wooden cart with one squeaky wheel, with a thick mat spread over the top for good measure. After all, thieves often plagued the roads, and the wares he dragged behind him were the sole support and source of income for the traveling houshi.

Or, rather, a _raccoon demon_ dragged the wagon while he daintily picked his way through the shrubbery up ahead.

"Miroku-sama... _why_... can't we take... the road?" the raccoon huffed.

"Quiet, Tanuki. No complaints," Miroku replied, readjusting his grip on the staff.

"But... you're not the one... dragging all this junk..."

Miroku stopped and faced the tanuki, brushing off a few brambles. "When life gives us burdens, we must bear them with grace and dignity," he quipped, after assuming a sage and holy pose. The raccoon sighed.

Satisfied, the monk swept aside some leaning stalks of grass and continued on his way, looking forward to arriving at the next village. He could easily make out a few wisps of smoke, which worried him slightly. They were dark and numerous, whereas a regular cooking fire let off only curling white puffs, but he couldn't hear any cries of battle or sense any youki, so whatever storm had blown in must have passed away already. Nothing to do but push forward, see if he could help, and try to sell to (swindle) the wealthier villagers.

His fingers curled around the beads that were wrapped about his right hand. It was a subconscious habit.

This day was cool and calm, a nice day for traveling. After a few weeks of rougher mountainous terrain and heavy rains, it was almost pleasant to cut through the lush woods and walk dappled in shade from the trees. They had been on the road for weeks now, however, so their tired feet and sore muscles welcomed the rest and relaxation that would come with their upcoming arrival in the next village.

It was in a large, fairly weedy field that Miroku first noticed something was definitely off. He could hear the river somewhere ahead through the trees, spot the main pathway to the village, yet faint wisps of youki tugged at his senses and set him slightly on edge. The raccoon noticed the shift in his demeanor, stopping immediately.

"Miroku-sama...?"

"Hush, Tanuki."

The grass rustled in the soft breeze, the sun was low and warm in the morning air – there didn't seem to be any great danger or disturbance whatsoever. However... he could still feel that electric tingle raising the hairs on his arms, and past experience taught him to trust instinct in matters of self-preservation. That, and something else... a biting edge to the air, a shuddering in the life energies of surrounding plants...

_...oh!_

With a tighter grip on the shakujou, the monk leapt forward, ignoring a pile of rotting youkai remains.

It looked like it had been there for weeks.

In the center of the field a young maiden sprawled with frost on her breath, her lips and complexion brushed blue. It almost looked as if she was suffocating, but Miroku knew better. He kneeled by her side and turned her onto her side, pulling back her long black hair. He rested a hand on her forehead and bowed his head, whispering a few charms and prayers and pouring a little of his own holy energy into his work – energy which he found was quite substantially smaller than her own generous gifts, unsurprisingly. A miko.

"Hey..."

She moaned softly, head jerking to the side and eyelids fluttering.

"So your soul made its way back after all, huh?" he mused, relaxing slightly.

Her pale fingers twitched then buried in the grass, subconsciously seeking warmth. It was cold... so very cold, but she could feel the sun on her face and the heat in the earth. She sucked in a deep breath, then another, relishing the feeling of air in her lungs.

And Miroku watched over her, admiring her... assets. Namely, admiring her ass. With his hand.

_"Aaaaaaaiiiiiiiii!"_

The raccoon winced as the sound of a slap cracked the trees and surrounding lands, and heaved a deep sigh. Really. Just after the poor girl woke up?

* * *

**Raven Moon: Ch. 2, River Styx**

_Author: Cyan I'd_

_Betas: Special thanks to Alex and Sashi! I love you guys..._

* * *

Higurashi sighed heavily, curling her fingers delicately around the handle of her teacup. She knelt calmly in the center of the room, a small living area near the back of the shrine with the family's bedrooms, and tried her best to maintain some semblance of peace. This _was_ a temple, after all.

On one end of the wooden floor her daughter waited, glaring heatedly towards the young man who was seated at the other end – a monk, judging by his clothes and demeanor. A traveling monk... and Higurashi wasn't entirely sure that she trusted them. She'd heard far too many stories of theft and deceit... but it was unfair to judge.

Outside, the sun beamed from high above, warming the small and crowded temple to almost unbearable temperatures. The fires were needed for the early morning cool, but since that time was past they were extinguished and the windows and doors flung wide open to the breeze. Maybe, just maybe, the daylight would raise the spirits of the wounded inside. From over the hill, they could hear the sounds of the village bustling, repairing and strengthening. The men boasted loudly of courage and strength. Higurashi had smiled very softly when the young man from the Takinawa household told of his feats the night before, and how he would personally slay any approaching demon that dared to breathe upon these lands. It was funny... how different daylight could make things.

It chases the nightmares away.

"Kagome," Higurashi sighed, "what was this you said about a youkai attack?" she asked, drawing her shoulders up straight and trying to smile the weariness away. Kagome looked apprehensively at her mother, one hand fisted in the material of her skirt in a way that reminded Higurashi of the young girl as a baby – how she used to always cling to her mother's clothes whenever she was picked up.

"Mama... you shouldn't worry about it..." Kagome started, but her mother shook her head.

"Nonsense, Kagome, I need to hear. The village counts on me,"

"You'll get wrinkles, mama," Kagome replied softly, teasing. There was a sadder, more solemn inflection to the words though.

"Nonsense. Your mother is still a fine-looking woman, any man would—"

"If you value your life, you _won't_ finish that sentence, 'houshi'," Kagome growled with a withering glare. The monk assumed a holy and aloof expression.

"I don't know what you're implying..." he responded loftily.

"Please, just—stop..." Higurashi sighed, her weathered tone and sigh instantly quieting her daughter. As soon as Kagome had (reluctantly) abandoned her efforts to threaten their guest, Higurashi brightened considerably, leaving Kagome to wonder how manipulative her mother _really_ was...

"Higurashi-sama, as I've already told you, I found your daughter in the fields just beyond your village with the remains of a youkai. The rest is her story to tell," Miroku offered, taking an enlightened sip of his tea.

"Just what were your intentions with our village?"

"I am a traveling monk. I offer my services where needed, and as a way to support my endeavors, I sell and trade machina. For example, I see that you still burn your bandages. Purchasing a machina that can wash them instead is much less wasteful," Miroku explained.

"Uh... call me old-fashioned, houshi-sama, but I prefer the traditional ways," Higurashi smiled, trying to be as gentle as possible. "But your help would be greatly appreciated – especially now. It seems we've had... a very busy time with the youkai."

"Yes, I've noticed. Times are dangerous, miko-sama. It's best to be prepared."

Higurashi nodded in agreement, lowering her head. She seemed to pause for a moment, trying to gather herself. Kagome fidgeted, feeling an oddly misplaced sense of guilt about the youkai she'd fought. Not that she regretted 'killing' it – not in the least – but some part of her shied away from the knowledge that she'd upset her mother. Mama Higurashi had always been so adamant about the protection the forest gave to the village... and it had betrayed her.

"So, Kagome. Tell me about this youkai, then."

"I just went to find those herbs, mama, and I sensed it. It was heading towards the village, so I used the path down by the river and cut it off. It was a snake-youkai," Kagome briefly explained. And odd expression crossed the monk's face, an almost smirk, and he straightened where he sat.

"But there's more to it than that, isn't there? After all... the remains I saw had to have been dead for at least a few weeks," he finished softly, staring intensely at the young miko. For a moment, it crossed her mind that _maybe_ there was more to this monk than just a shallow obsession with the opposite sex. He knew more than he let on.

"I... yes. The snake-youkai was... sort of... dead. But still moving."

Higurashi gasped, and the light ambiance of the room at once vanished. They all remained silent, letting the older woman digest this new information – the monk had somehow already suspected it, seemingly.

Kagome fixed her gaze on the ground, picking out the jagged pattern in the mat. She'd heard stories as a child about the dead rising once more, but she'd never really believed them. What's dead is dead, and that's final. Then again, a definitely rotting and deceased snake-youkai had nearly killed her not too long ago... so perhaps it wasn't as farfetched as she'd always thought.

"That... is not good," her mother murmured. She turned worried eyes on her daughter. "How was it destroyed?"

Kagome swallowed, debating on what to tell her mother exactly.

"Well... I guess... I don't know, it was going to crush me, and all I could feel was that horrible empty aura and the clammy scales..." she shuddered, trying to banish the remembered feel of decaying flesh against her exposed skin.

"You destroyed it..." Higurashi whispered, a soft wonder in her voice.

"There was this pull, and I just... added my own energy to it," Kagome tried to explain, not sure how to describe that insistent pressure on the undead soul of the youkai.

"You sent it into death," Miroku supplied for her. Kagome nodded.

"...what?" her mother asked flatly, sending her daughter a hard look. Kagome stared with wide eyes at her mother, not exactly sure what brought the sudden shift in mood on.

"Death... Kagome, don't you _dare_ do that again. That power... dealing with death... it's so dangerous, do you understand?" her mother's voice was laced with tears, and Kagome was afraid she would start crying at any moment. The older woman shuffled across the floor, her guest forgotten, and brought her daughter into a tight embrace.

"You could have been pulled in yourself! I could have lost you!" she cried, at which point Kagome decided it was best _not_ to tell her mother that she had, in fact, been pulled into death.

_That boy... I'd better not mention him, either._.

"It is rare that anyone can _see _the dead, much less interact with and step into death itself," Miroku supplied. "Almost unheard of."

"Yes... I know," Higurashi allowed, pulling away from Kagome slightly.

"Such ability," Miroku continued, "is very dangerous if not trained properly. Not only that, but once word gets out that Kagome-sama is capable of such things, she will be marked by all youkai."

"I know this," Higurashi said, her voice noticeably chillier than before.

"Oh! That reminds me! There was something else – before I sensed the youkai, I found a body... I think the youkai may have killed her. It was a woman, from some far away village, I think," Kagome broke in, wondering how she had managed to forget about something as notable as a rotting corpse. Then again, snake youkai, death, and that boy... well, they drove it from her mind. Understandable.

"I will take care of this matter, if you would wish, miko-sama," Miroku offered as he rose, giving a little humble bow.

"Yes... Kagome, show this monk where you found the body. The forest should be safe. I'm sure the dead youkai frightened off anything else troublesome, but in any case – be on your guard. We'll discuss the other matter at length later."

"Hai, miko-sama."

* * *

_"Where... am I?" she wondered aloud._

_"Well," a voice replied, "that's a stupid question."_

_Kagome started, glancing wildly around until her panicked gaze fell on a lone boy, dark and surreal and standing with limp arms and blank eyes just to her left. His lips twisted into a humorless smirk, but his eyes remained flat and lifeless._

_"Stupid bitch. You're in death."_

"_I'm..." she muttered faintly, feeling a little ill. Her eyes flitted desperately around the desolate surroundings before settling on the boy, dark and solid and starkly contrasting with the hazy grey. _

"_I'm... dead?" she asked weakly. "Oh, no no... I can't be... I'm just... I'm only fifteen, damnit! That's not fair, I don't want to die! I don't want to die!" _

_She crumbled into hysterics, pulling her hands out of the shallow water and desperately shaking the cool little droplets every direction. _

_"Oh, would you just shut the fuck up," he hissed, rolling his eyes at her. She staggered to her feet and wrapped her arms around her waist, trying to drag some much-needed air into her lungs. She felt like she was being crushed, like this place was closing in... while in reality, it was the most wide open space she'd ever seen._

_"But I'm dead! I died! I can't be dead, I'm only fifteen... no... nononono..."_

_"Cut the hysterics, you stupid girl. You're not dead."_

_His expression once again lost all personality, deadpanning into that blank look he'd initially worn. Kagome bowed her head, letting her dark hair fall over her face as she tried to slow her panicked breathing._

_Not... dead?_

_"How... is this possible?" she wondered, dazed. Suddenly, she felt like she was spinning... or maybe it was the ground that was spinning? Yes, that must be it... the thin, cold and intrusive water, the grey ice beneath, the dark shapes drifting in the leagues of existence below that -- and abruptly she jerked her gaze elsewhere. _

_"I wouldn't look down there," came the dark chuckle, "unless you want to bring a lot of shit down on your head."_

_Kagome stared hard at the boy again, noting little details she'd missed before. He was dark, in both clothing and features, but he was also strangely faded -- sort of like something old and worn. He looked human, his aura sort of felt that way too, but there was a light fizz of youki along her senses as well. He was also very... pretty. She wasn't sure if that was the right word for it – after all, with rippling muscles and a built frame (from what she could tell; he _was_ dressed, after all) he was far from effeminate. But there was something ethereal, and it drew her like a magnet. _

_"I... don't understand," she said slowly, careful to keep her sights on his face. He gave her a hollow little smirk._

_"It's simple. You're in death. This," he gestured at the endless plain of grey and ice, "is death."_

_"But I'm still alive."_

_"Exactly."_

_Now that her shock was ebbing, she could feel the cold seeping in, a sort of shiver that clothing did little to ward off. Probably because this wasn't cold in the way she was used to thinking of it... this was the icy grip of death, and it made her incredibly nervous._

_"What is that down there?" she asked. He swiped the back of his hand across his eyes and stretched his back, giving her the impression of some one who had been sleeping up until recently, but was still tired. _

_"That down there is true death. Up here, we're in between; neither in the plain of the living nor the land of the dead. Don't look at them. You might make them remember life, and memories make them yearn to breathe again. Unless you'd like a little more company up here, of course."_

_Kagome swallowed thickly, lifting one foot off the ice below. She most certainly did not want to bring those things up here. She stepped back and leveled her gaze at her companion, concentrating now to read his aura. _

_"And what does that make you?" she asked suspiciously. _

_"It makes me real," he shrugged. Kagome frowned in confusion, not any clearer on where this strange boy stood in the whole dead/living scene. It occurred to her that she was someplace very dangerous to the living, and he could be just as detrimental to her health as the cold and endless murk below. _

_He didn't feel the same as that youkai had. He didn't feel undead. There was something, though... a strange energy, far away... _

_Before she could think further on it, though, she was slipping again, feeling that pull -- only this time, it was considerably warmer. _

_And he watched her go with a faraway gaze, still feeling numb and distant. There were memories... many things... but he'd let them all slip away, so now they were barely within his reach._

_'She looks just like Kikyo, doesn't she?'_

_His fists clenched, lips pressed into a thin line, and his eyes darkened while his skin seemed paler. Before, he'd stood out. Now he fit in with the grey and ghostly surroundings._

_"Yes, she does."_

* * *

Miroku insisted on stopping to check up on the youkai he'd brought with him, the short and portly raccoon. The Tanuki was ordered to remain outside with the cart, to which he eagerly obliged – he wasn't very interested in venturing onto the holy grounds of the temple. His hair stood on end just waiting in its shadow. Once the monk was assured that everything was in order, they continued on their way, this time skirting around the village and taking the 'scenic' river route. Kagome only hoped to keep peace in the village by doing this – after all, their young miko armed to the teeth with arrows and a strange monk carrying purifying scrolls heading into the forest might worry a few people.

"You. In front," Kagome ordered sharply, jabbing an arrow in the monk's general direction.

"But... I don't know where we're going..." he replied, honestly dismayed. Kagome ignored the fumbled slip in his usual calm demeanor, raising an eyebrow. There was no way in _hell_ that she was walking with this man behind her. She could practically feel his eyes raking up her backside. So, with a resigned sigh, he shuffled ahead.

The first time she was here, the woods were calm and friendly. Now, they seemed to hold a secret edge of threat. The shadows were darker, the sunlight scarcer, and the trees twisted, reaching over her head and bearing down on her. She suppressed a shudder, thinking of the snake youkai and the decrepit body of the woman they were going to find. Whether the monk intended to give her a burial right then and there, drag her back to town himself, or just learn the whereabouts so he could bring help later, she wasn't sure – but her job ended with pointing out the body to the houshi.

"What was it like?" he asked suddenly, shifting his grip on his staff.

"What?"

"Death. I know you were lying to your mother. When I found you, your spirit felt very far away... and you were ice cold," Miroku explained softly, but with a tone that brooked no argument. Kagome adjusted the bow slung over her shoulder and sighed, giving the shivering canopy of leaves a wary look. What if there was another dead creature lurking in the brush?

_Don't be silly... talking about death can't bring the dead... can it?_

"It was... cold," she shrugged indifferently. Miroku raised an eyebrow.

"Cold?"

"Well... yeah. It made something deep inside cold," Kagome explained, suppressing a shiver at the memory. "And completely wide open, lifeless. I don't really think I can describe it..."

"That's fine."

They moved forward in silence, retracing her steps not even a day old. Kagome tried to remember exactly what the trees looked like where the body waited. Every time she thought of that time, though, she could only recall the way the shadows fell and maggots wriggling in white, bloated flesh.

"What's wrong? You look pale."

Kagome jumped, nearly running into the inquisitive monk. Apparently, he had noted her silence and cast her a backward glance – only to find her far away and sickly. He was stopped in the path just in front of her, giving her a worried once-over.

"Why... does it matter?"

"What?" he asked, honestly confused. Kagome swallowed back tears, bile and rotting memories, focusing on the man before her.

"Why are you so interested in the fact that I... was in death?" she pressed. If it concerned her, she really had a right to know, didn't she?

Miroku sighed and stabbed his shakujou into the moist earth, cocking half an ear to the rustling of the leaves.

"Kagome-sama, do you know about necromancers? Ghouls? Mortlings? Those sorts of things?" he asked, folding his hands into his sleeves. Kagome shifted uncomfortably.

"I've heard all the stories..." she murmured, to which he shook his head.

"But they're not just stories, are they? They're facts, truths, and you should realize that. You fought an undead youkai."

Kagome turned to the side, suddenly bitterly angry with the monk. So what, so she had fought an undead youkai and won. So there were ghouls that haunted graveyards and stole the souls of children. So what if there were mortlings? Creatures so long in death yet so stubbornly drawn to life that they came back without a physical body of their own, procuring the dead meat and flesh of corpses they found along their way. And necromancers... well, if she could take something _into_ death, who's to say that there were none that could draw something _out of_ death to control and use?

What did that have to do with _her_? She was a miko, a priestess charged with facing the living enemies of her people. The dead were well beyond her league.

"Kagome-sama, these things are not nearly as common as the living evil we must face from day to day, but they still exist. And they're growing in number. Do you understand? With all these wars and youkai uprisings, there are more restless and wicked souls than ever before. And, of course, there's the problem of something stirring them up."

Miroku's expression softened in its severity, even smoothing into a comforting smile. Kagome swallowed thickly, not liking where this was going at _all_. She was her mother's daughter, the next priestess charged with protecting her village – and she had yet to master _that_ role. No way would she fight the dead. No. She couldn't handle another one of those undead youkai, let alone the horrors that legend told of.

"Rarest of all, Kagome-sama, are those that can fight on the same level as these things. Like yourself, it seems. And that makes you a very, very dangerous threat to some," Miroku said. He straightened and curled his fingers around the staff once more, watching her for any reaction.

"We're nearly there," she answered tersely, resolving to abandon the matter for now. She brushed past the monk, forgetting about her demand for him to remain in front, and rustled down the path. Miroku sighed softly and followed, silently cursing the day he had decided that this village would be ripe for the picking in terms of his machina sales. Then, he wouldn't be involved in such a growing mess. Then again, if he hadn't come along, who knew how long the girl would last... it probably wouldn't take long for word to get out that the miko finished off a long-dead snake.

Kagome stepped resolutely over the fallen log she cleared not long ago in her mad dash to head off the youkai threat, pushing aside a low-lying branch hung with spider webs. There, just in front of her, was that shallow indentation in the earth.

There was no body.

Mikroku approached behind, stopping at her shoulder to peer over and see what was holding them up. Kagome turned.

"But... it was there," she murmured, and the way it was voiced, it sounded like she was asking him a question. Miroku guided her out of the way as her brow creased in confusion, stooping low to take a closer look at the place. The grass was flattened where the land dipped, and the soil was churned and disturbed near the edges, probably Kagome's own footprints.

"You think... something took off with her? A scavenger?" Kagome asked, standing on tiptoe to see over the monk's shoulder after he stood. He frowned.

"Maybe... but all these tracks look human," he mused, dusting off his hands. Something nagged at the back of his mind, a warning, but he wasn't sure what to do about it. Kagome stepped back and made her way towards the path once more, secretly relieved that the body had been dragged off – she'd had her fill of death today, thank you very much.

A cold, dead weight settled in her stomach, making it difficult to breath. She could feel the first prickles of real terror climbing her spine accompanied by a faint buzzing in her ears as she pushed past bushes and trees, conscious of the monk at her back. Was it just her, or were the trees a little deformed around these parts? Twisted into claws and fangs, closing in on her...

"Stupid..." she muttered, shaking her head. She was not a child. She shouldn't act like one. There was nothing out there...

"What is that?" Miroku asked softly, drawing his shakijoku closer to his body. The tense question made her realize that the buzzing in her ears was, in fact, coming from somewhere forward and to their left.

"I'm... I'm not..." she trailed off. With only a moment of hesitation, she pushed forward once more, steeling her resolve. She still couldn't swallow past that lump in her throat.

As they came closer, trying to be as quiet as possible, the sound became recognizable.

"...flies?" Kagome murmured, rounding one last tree and stepping out onto the path. She heard the crunch as Miroku followed her. The sound was coming from a little ways ahead, towards the village, but because of the density of the woods she couldn't make out the source. It was probably the body they were looking for, she figured, or something similar – something big enough to draw that many flies.

Between the trees, she finally glimpsed something – it was white and luminescent in the filtered daylight – and her blood ran so icy it numbed her fingers.

"Kagome..." Miroku murmured just as they stepped into view.

There, in the middle of the path, they found the missing body. When Kagome had first stumbled across the poor woman earlier that morning, only a few flies had caught wind of her death. Now they buzzed and flitted in a large swarm, a constant sound that never decreased nor increased in intensity, and it made her skin crawl.

"Kagome-sama..." Miroku tried again softly. Kagome blinked, realizing what felt so very wrong about the body in front of her: it was standing up. Limp hands, bloated and pale, eyeless sockets, lank and greasy hair, and maggots; woven in the cheeks, laced between the fingers, writhing, churning, and the flies buzzing and crawling.

"Kagome-sama... run. Now," Miroku said firmly. He grabbed her arm, tugging insistently. "_Now_."

The corpse took a lurching step forward, the feet landing with a wet plop. Its walk was awkward and jerky, 'eyes' fixed firmly on the pair, lips frozen in a cross between a smile and a sneer.

Her hair snapped out as she turned and pounded the opposite way, hot on the monk's heels. Behind, an inhuman screech split the air, followed by loud and rapid rhythmic smacks and cracks down the leafy path.

"Oh god, oh god," Kagome panted, "it's _running_." She was close to tears, feeling as if her chest were about to burst from the strain. The urge to just sit down and sob was nearly overwhelming. It wasn't _fair_. The stupid thing was rotten, the ligaments snapped, muscles decayed... it should be _shuffling_, damn it! Shuffling and moaning, not sprinting after them and gaining ground.

"Off the path!" Miroku cried, grabbing her arm and yanking her through the trees. She stumbled and crashed through the underbrush, raising an arm to shield herself from snapping branches. She could hear the thing thundering up behind, screaming horribly. Fast, it was. Graceful, it was not. The ground the creature was steadily gaining tapered off, allowing the pair to remain ahead of their pursuer.

They broke out through the line of trees, sprinting across a trunk-scattered open ground, keen to the creature following them.

"We can't... keep this up...!" Kagome shrieked, pushing her body as hard as she could. Her muscles burned, her lungs were raw, and her eyes wild with the thought of the thing catching up to them. The river's steep banks stretched ahead of them, the safety of the village growing farther and farther away with each panicked leap. Miroku stopped short, grabbing her arm and using her own momentum to swing her behind him before raising his staff protectively in front. The creature lumbered to a halt as well, shaking and twitching with exertion.

"Kagome-sama, quickly, what do you sense?"

"What?"

Kagome stared wide-eyed, the monk's frantic question fueling her own terror. She hunched her shoulders and curled her hands into the earth, gaze trapped on the oozing form of flesh and stringy muscle before her.

"_What do you sense?_" Miroku pressed urgently, and she shook herself. She focused, pushing aside her fear and going into all-business miko mode.

It was dead. That was the first thing that hit her, that same sick and twisted curling of the aura that the snake youkai had shared. Cold, hungry, and _wrong_... but there was something... it felt...

_"You... killed... my darling..."_ it rasped.

Miroku grimaced and tensed, ready as it stumbled forward, arms outstretched.

_It feels... exactly the same. It's just the same! It's the same aura! How...?!_

As soon as it lurched into range, Miroku swung the shakujou, tearing through the undead flesh at about chest-level. It dipped to the side, thrown off-balance, before recovering and steadfastly heading forward again. Two more swings yielded the same results, but there was no other way to fight; no holy spell could take this thing down.

"M... Miroku-sama! Hang on, I'll kill it," Kagome said. She kept the tremor out of her voice, but not her hands. She concentrated on the aura, searching for that tug – the shot of cold and ice that signified death – but she couldn't find it. Desperate, she stood and moved closer, blinking back tears.

The body was within reach of the monk, so he took a desperate swing and lobbed off one of its legs. It screeched and toppled forward, curling nail-less fingers into his robes and bringing him down with it.

_Ah..._ only she could stop it, but she couldn't find death's grip. With frenzied senses, she searched for something, _anything_ – and she thought of that boy. His face, his eyes, the way his fingers curled at his sides, all of it – and she reached for him instead. She made sure to pull the corpse's aura along with hers as the world fell away and coldness washed over her soul.

* * *

There was hissing and spitting from behind and to her left, but all she knew was the feel of fabric beneath her fingers and something solid supporting her thin and shaking form. She looked up, catching bewildered dark eyes and long drifts of hair.

"You... girl..." he murmured, and Kagome leaned into the sound of his voice rippling over her.

"You're so stupid."

* * *

_When the days grew longer and cooler the villagers began their harvest. It was a hard time. The drought had killed off most of their crops and game was scarce. The children were dropping like flies, her talents were in high demand in the temple, and the women had taken over the fields while the men widened their territory in growing desperation for meat. That left him alone to mull over his thoughts, which had been rather distressing of late. _

_Humans are dangerous! You idiot; untrustworthy, deceitful, foul – hateful! No matter how many times he recycled his bitter old memories and clawed at old scars, he couldn't deny his redirected goals. When was the last time he pursued the Shikon no Tama? He claimed to chase the jewel, but who was he kidding. The jewel wasn't out in the forest collecting herbs. The jewel wasn't bringing medicine to neighboring towns. The jewel wasn't taking wistful walks through the forest. _

_She was._

_"Damn it!" he snarled, driving his fist into a tree. No way in hell was he falling for some human girl, foolish and weak. A miko, no less. How disgustingly ironic. If it wasn't so personal, he could almost laugh about it. He jumped up, scuffing at the grass, then bounded into a nearby tree and leapt from branch to branch. He dared her, silently, to come see, to watch him fly and be free when she could not. After all, isn't that what had stayed her arrow? Because, that is freedom. _

* * *

A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter. Another cliff-hanger... eh. They're fun .

You might have noticed the rating jump – that's just because I'm playing it safe. My tendency towards horror and swearing might cause problems later on... and I'm sure you've all noticed the horror trend, no? Trust me, that's not all. We haven't even _started_ to delve into Kag's abilities yet. It's going to be much harder on the poor girl ;)

And, yes, I'm very excited. Why? Because I got reviews! This is my first fic for this genre, first writing project in a long time, so it's painfully exciting to hear from you guys!

-beckons- Keep 'em coming...

Reviews:

_Zephryn_: Thanks, I'm glad it's interesting. I don't want to give too much away at the very beginning, so I hope things have become a _little_ clearer. Perhaps not much, but there's a lot more story to go .

_Orion Kohaishu:_ You sound so sincere, it's going to make me cry! Well, as sincere as possible over the net... here's your update, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last!

_**Thanks for reading, and if you've got the time, please review!**_


	3. I Am

**Disclaimer:** Don't own it, don't want to. This story and plot, however, are mine.

* * *

"You... girl..." he murmured, and Kagome leaned into the sound of his voice rippling over her. 

"You're so stupid."

"_Thank you… for saving Kaede," she whispered, squeezing his hand gently.

* * *

_

**Raven Moon: Ch. 3, I am**

_Author: Cyan I'd_

_Betas: Special thanks to Alex and Sashi

* * *

_

She stared up at the boy, distantly aware of the chill of his skin seeping into her fingertips, knowing somewhere deep inside that this was very dangerous. All thoughts were scattered when he roughly threw her aside, face first into the shallow and icy waters of death. She gasped, recoiling instinctively from the bitterly cold liquid. It felt like countless tiny knives lacerating her skin and pulling her apart. She bit back a scream and hauled herself unceremoniously onto all fours, ready and willing to give the stupid boy a lecture he wouldn't forget – at least, not until his ears stopped ringing.

Imagine her surprise when, upon looking up, she found he was not quite where she left him. Instead, he was a few feet away, back pressed against the icy barrier between the in-between and true death with the corpse she pulled into death on top and doing its very best to choke him. His struggles made little ripples along the water that rolled lazily towards the miko-in-training.

"H-hang on!" she said, pulling herself up and taking two staggering steps towards the pair. That's as far as she got before his voice stopped her in her tracks.

"You're such a—fuck, just _stay back!_"

He managed to pull one leg up under the bloated stomach of the corpse, followed by the other; with a fluid coiling and uncoiling of muscles that reminded Kagome very much of a cat, he threw the corpse away from himself. It landed all wrong on the ice not too far away, tumbling with a sick crack and crunch of bone. The head twisted to the side nearly backwards.

"Oh…" Kagome promptly turned several unflattering shades of green.

"Oi," the boy prompted. Numb, Kagome glanced his way, one hand drawn to her lips. He stared back, still lying flat against the ground with his arms akimbo, head tilted her way. He blinked at her, then scoffed. "Death's lighting sucks on you."

"Shut up. Like you look any better," she scowled, crossing her fingers behind her back; he _did_ look better, actually. Set against the cloudy white of the ice, his complexion seemed less pale, more lively… or maybe that was because of the fight?

"You gonna finish that?" he asked, staring back calmly – as if she'd never even baited him. She would have snapped back with something witty and remarkable, had she not been so busy looking dumbfounded.

"Wha…?"

The scraping of bone against something solid coupled with the rustling of clothing answered the question for her.

"You mean it's still alive?!" she squeaked, whirling on the stirring corpse.

"Of course not. It's dead. That's the problem."

The creature mewled pitifully, trying to use twisted, broken arms to push its body upright again. It succeeded in getting its arms anchored underneath, hauling itself up, but the moment it tucked a leg under to stand the muffled sound of grinding bone and an unpleasant squishing permeated the unnatural silence of the place.

"Whuh-what am I supposed to do?" she squeaked, drawing back. The corpse, meanwhile, gave up on standing and resorted to dragging its mangled parts along by its hands. A trail of black blood smeared the ice behind it, doing nothing to obscure the dark shadows growing in size and number beneath it. With a sick chill, Kagome recognized them from before – from when she'd first risked a look into the murky waters of true death. Were they… being drawn towards life, somehow? Was the very presence of that thing rousing them from below?

"Send it back, just like you did before," the boy ordered softly, his head still tilted her way from his position on the ice. He never once even blinked at the shuffling corpse, or the dead spirits gathering beneath it.

"But… but I can't…" Kagome trailed off, fighting an intense shiver that started in her heart and moved to her fingers.

"Yes you can. You did it before. Can't you feel that? Its energy – it's the exact same as that _youkai_ you fought. This is its master."

"How did you—?" Kagome gasped sharply, cutting a glance at the sprawled boy. He was giving her a small, bitter smile, lips pulled over elongated canines and eyes flat and lacking any depth. The light didn't even catch in them… and he was so very pale. Not for the first time, she wondered which of her two 'companions' posed the greater threat.

"I know you can… I felt her _die_ the last time," he said, and Kagome tore her gaze away with a shudder.

She squared her shoulders, set her hips, nervously flexed her fingers, and reached out for that familiar cold wash of energy. Black spots danced in front of her eyes as a headache gripped her, nearly forcing her to her knees. Death was much stronger here, it seemed. In hindsight, she should have expected that, but she still wasn't prepared for the nearly doubled wash of energy. Of course, that made what came next a simple matter. No more than a sigh fluttered past her lips as she pulled the undead spirit into death, its screams and shrieks echoing dimly in her ears.

She didn't remember falling, only closing her eyes for the briefest of moments, and when she opened them – well, that boy was standing over her, expression blank, hair a black curtain… had she passed out?

"You dead?" he asked, and Kagome grimaced, pressing a hand to her forehead. Her head pounded furiously, and there was a vile taste in the back of her throat – not to mention the fact that her skin felt like it had been stretched and shrunk all at once.

"I'm just peachy…" she croaked, swallowing thickly.

"Peachy…?" he echoed, confused. She didn't bother to explain. Already she could feel a distant warmth thrumming in her veins… she was drifting back into life, and not a moment too soon. If he knew that, he gave no indication.

"Your name," she said.

"What?"

"What's your name?"

Drifting between existences was never something she'd get used to. It felt like spinning and tumbling. It was a bruising and enlightening experience, and probably something that would be happening more often than not nowadays.

_"…Inuyasha."_

But she was thankful for the tickle of grass on her cheek and the back of her hand. She was thankful for birdsong and sunshine, and even for the worried voice of the perverted monk. These things all meant that she was alive, where she belonged, where things were safe.

_"Inuyasha? I see… thank you… for saving me."_

Something dark and heavy settled in her stomach. She should be so happy she was leaving the chill water of death behind, but she couldn't shake a sort of guilty sadness. She watched him until he faded from view, and he looked so… lost.

_"It must be so lonely there,"_ she said.

Somehow, she felt bad to be leaving him.

* * *

_"Kikyou…_" it smiled softly, fangs curving over its blue-tinged lips. It'd felt her… it was sure… so very sure. 

_"Kikyou, I thought you died."_

"She did die."

The other's voice was flat and hard, but after all this time, it knew it. It knew the subtle intonations and pitches that boy used when he was angry, sad, lost, confused…

_"Then her soul is back, you know. Is that very fair?" _it asked, curling its fingers on the ice. The slight motion sent ripples of frigid water rolling away.

"…no, it's not," he answered, and sounded very tired, every bit as old as he was.

_"Don't let her be, Inuyasha. Surely you felt it too…"_

An indelicate snort. "Of course," he said.

_"Silly girl, she doesn't understand what she's doing. But, then again, she never did."

* * *

_

"Kagome-sama… Kagome-sama!"

Someone was shaking her roughly. She irritably tried to swat them away, but this person was outrageously persistent – couldn't he see she was trying to sleep here?!

"Ka-go-me-sama."

Then, there was a lovely hard jab right in her side. With an indignant squeak, Kagome opened her eyes, blinking against the sun. Grass tickled the backs of her arms, which felt unnaturally heavy. She swallowed and grimaced, tasting something bitter in the back of her throat, and bit back a groan as all the aches and pains that had settled in her muscles over the last few days made themselves known. She angled a glare at the priest, who stood over her, his Shakujou gripped tightly in one hand. Evidently, he'd jabbed her with it.

"What?" she muttered, pulling herself up.

"You are alright, then? That's good to see," Miroku said, offering her a hand. After a suspicious glance, she accepted, allowing the monk to pull her to her feet. She blinked and looked around, warily watching for any sign of danger. The trees were rustling softly in the breeze, the long grass swaying, but there was no sign of their undead assailant.

"The…?" she started, but Miroku waved her off.

"It's dead, don't worry."

"It was dead before."

"Yes, but now it's _dead_ dead."

Kagome made her way towards the still corpse, her first few steps shaky. She swallowed thickly as the smell became stronger, fought the urge to turn her eyes away, and forced her new-found senses to come to life. Sure enough, she found no trace of that strange energy that had laced its limbs and brought them to life – only the distant mournful calling of icy waters and grey, endless horizons. She swiftly closed her mind to the whispers, unnerved by how comfortable she was becoming with the sensation of death.

"What happened?" she inquired, keeping her distance.

"You dropped, then it dropped, then I woke you," Miroku shrugged.

"That's it?" Kagome asked, incredulous. "But it took much longer to…"

At his slanted glance, she waved him off. "Nevermind."

Miroku thought about pursuing the argument for a moment, but decided to let it go in the end. If he pushed the subject, he'd be pushing the girl – and that certainly wouldn't help him gain her trust any. And he _did_ have to gain her trust, otherwise he wouldn't be able to help her.

They walked in silence for some time with only the sound of their feet rustling the grass and the wind jangling the leaves. Kagome watched her feet, her mind far away and beyond this world, where that boy waited… just who was he? _What_ was he? He didn't feel 'undead', but he didn't feel living either. Actually, if she had to guess, Kagome would say he belonged right where he was – suspended between the realm of the living and that of the dead. But… that seemed so lonely. Nothing could make such a sad existence right. To spend even a week in that place would probably drive her past the bounds of sanity.

Great. So, potentially, she could be dealing with a crazy not-quite-dead but not-quite-living human boy with a fizz of _youki_ in his aura and potentially homicidal tendencies?

"Kagome-sama…" Miroku started tentatively.

"…whuh?" was her intelligent reply.

"Kagome-sama, I wanted to… discuss something with you."

"No, I will not bear your child."

"I—what?!"

Miroku stopped short, his staff jangling with the sudden movement. He blinked at her with wide, surprised eyes, to which she rolled her own. Hands firmly planted on her hips, head tilted to the side, she said hotly, "Right, you're so very innocent."

"But I… I didn't…" he spluttered, and Kagome sighed.

"No, but I overheard you with some of the village girls before we had our talk with Mama."

Miroku cleared his throat and straightened with a blank expression. He continued forward, muscles tense and face passive. Kagome wondered if maybe she had actually managed to insult him. She hurried forward, worrying her lip quietly and trying to brush aside the guilt that washed over her. _What's the big deal? He's a perverted priest, and I called him on it. No need to feel bad… right?_

"As I was saying, miko-sama. I wish to help you as much as possible, but as a man of flesh and blood, I only know so much – death is a realm beyond me."

Kagome watched him carefully, her brow creased in worry. Something in his inflection, laced in the words themselves – _death is a realm beyond me_ – hinted at things both dark and troubling. It seemed there was more to it… almost like an unspoken 'yet'.

"But I do know this – the nature of death is like a pool of water. A disturbance in one place sends ripples across all time, and all things that have the power to be aware learn of it. There is no doubt in my mind that your… _experiences_ in the other world have already roused the attention of many things wicked and powerful. No matter what path you choose, miko-sama, _be careful of your steps_."

Kagome slowed, faltered, stopped. Miroku was surely aware of her absence, but he carried on nevertheless, making his way towards the village and the shrine. With one small, white hand curled to her chest, she watched him leave, struggling to swallow the tears and fears that rose in her throat. He had no idea how right he was… death _was_ a shallow pool, and she herself had seen the ripples cascade away…

_What have I gotten myself into?

* * *

_

"Have you got enough, Kagome?" her mother asked, worrying her lip. _Enough what?_ Kagome wanted to ask. She didn't, though, choosing to lay her small hands over her mother's to still them. The older woman had been wringing them ever since Kagome returned with Miroku and briefly explained what happened and what was planned.

"Yes, mama, don't worry. I'm all set," she assured. Something within, buried and childish, was annoyed with her mother, annoyed that she herself was whispering gentle and encouraging words while her stomach did flips and various aerobics. Wasn't this supposed to work the other way around? Mother takes care of child until mother is old and wrinkly and senile. It had to be the seventeenth law of nature, or something.

Higurashi-sama sighed, turning away to furiously blink back tears that were building steadily as time passed. An insistent pressure also pounded behind her eyes, signaling a massive migraine in the near future. She felt her daughter's hands slip off her own, and noted how smooth and inexperienced they were compared to her own rough and weathered fingers.

"…Mama?"

Higurashi straightened and quickly swiped at her eyes. They suddenly felt sore and dry, like she hadn't slept in weeks, and the lack of transition was jarring. Of course, she put on her bravest face, a wobbly smile that stretched the skin at the corners of her eyes uncomfortably tight. Really, she must look so old and worn… she felt like her skin was made of burlap, and had to fight the self-depreciating laugh that nearly bubbled up with that thought. "Kagome, I…" her voice failed, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "I just…"

Kagome's face fell into something sad and understanding, letting her fingers slip loose from the bag she was packing. The torchlight flickered across her mother's face, creating shadows and darkness that seemed unnatural on a woman so full of life and caring for others. Ignoring the twitching shadows that spilled across the ground, Kagome closed the distance and curled into her mother's open, waiting arms.

"I know, Mama… I know," Kagome sighed. She felt her mother's fingers in her hair, massaging her scalp, comforting and maternal, and sighed heavily. She didn't want to go, really, she didn't. But she wanted to die at the hands of something dead and rotten even less. There was simply no choice in the matter.

_"A woman I know, miko-sama, in a faraway village… she is the only person that might be able to prepare you for the trials ahead."_

Irrationally, Kagome blamed the monk. All this trouble started when he approached the village's territory… right? _Wrong. _

"Kagome, come here, just for a second. I know you have to get going, but I want you to come with me, just momentarily. Please?"

Kagome watched her mother, watched the limp black hair slide across her pale forehead, let her eyes trace the lines of worry and care in her mother's face. The woman had _so much character_. Funny how she missed that before. Did it really take the very real and frightening reality of imminent death to make her appreciate the things she had in life? Her face flushed with shame as she nodded, embarrassed that her mother would ask her _permission_ to take her somewhere, to do something for her. That was the great miko's way. She never demanded, almost never asked for anything – but when she did, it was a soft and light request, easily refused but always granted. Everyone knew Higurashi-sama. Feathery voice, gentle hands, kind eyes – of course they knew her well. She watched over their village for years from the temple that crested the hill. She treated their wounds and tended their children. She blessed their houses and served as the guardian watching their worlds with care and devotion.

As Kagome followed her mother out of the temple, she watched the faces of the people seeking refuge inside. _Love. Awe. Gratitude. Thankfulness. Comfort._ The people loved her mother, perhaps just as much as she. Their smiles and murmured thanks only reinforced the idea that she could never, _ever _even live up to her mother's shadow.

* * *

Kagome adjusted the pack on her back, her hair falling into her face. Miroku continually slipped backward glances at her, studying the slant of her shoulders, the way she dragged her feet, everything. His expression tightened and folded in on itself. He tightened his grip on his staff. 

And poor, poor Tanuki plodded on, valiantly tugging his master's wagon despite the rather steep incline of the hill they traveled. His breath came in short puffs, his muscles strained, and he wondered why, _oh why_ did he travel with Miroku-sama?

The nagging presence of the village pressed at her back. She knew it was behind her, growing farther and farther away, and the urge to look was almost overpowering. Her home. Her _home_, where she had spent her whole life. She wanted so badly to just turn around and run straight back into her mother's arms, hear the greetings of the villagers, the familiar twists and turns of dusty dirt roads. Maybe, just one last look, a little goodbye? After all, who knew when she could come back. Who knew _if_ she could. This might be the last time she ever saw her village again.

But if she looked, she knew what she'd see. Just past a grassy plain, under a blue sky lazily painted with drifting grey cloud, the village – small roofs clustered in small sections, a ribbon of beige winding between them, the ornate temple perched at the top of an overlooking hill…

And it would be so very, very far away.

She dug her nails into her palms and bit her lip, stubbornly gluing her eyes to the ground. Her features twisted bitterly and her footfalls became just a little harder on the packed trail. _No_, she wasn't stomping, that would be childish. She was simply… well…

"Oomph!"

Kagome barely caught her balance on her trailing leg, staring up in surprise at the broad, warm something that she'd run into.

"H… Houshi-sama?" she stammered. He stared down at her, expression unreadable, feet set wide and shoulders squared. She wondered briefly if he was still upset about her comments earlier, seeing as she had yet to apologize. On the tail of that thought came another, more chilling one: how safe _was_ it to travel with a man she barely knew, priest or no priest?

"I… you're in my way, houshi-sama," she asserted, growing a little angry with her circumstances. Really, this was hard enough… he wasn't going to cause her trouble, was he?

"Quit pouting, miko-sama. You're not a child any longer," he replied calmly in that infuriatingly smooth and emotionless voice. She clenched her fists _hard_. She barely felt it when her knuckles popped.

"Will you just _shut up_! I'm only fifteen! This is—"

"You're a _trained miko._ I would have thought your mother taught you better than this."

Reeling, she instantly had dozens of angry and snide retorts on the tip of her tongue, all jumbled. She very nearly spat them all at once, but instead, found her anger dissipating like it had never even been there. She deflated, suddenly feeling small and vulnerable. Instinctively, she lowered her eyes, biting back a pathetic sniffle.

"Sorry. You're right."

She hated the words. She hated being wrong. But it was true, her mother raised her better than this, and even if she felt her time in the village was not over, she had no choice.

"Kagome-sama…" his voiced softened, and a light hand fell on her shoulder. She brushed it away wearily, shaking her head.

"No, no, you're right. I just… I want to see them again. I really do."

"You will, don't worry."

"The odds are sort of against me, Miroku-sama."

She chanced a look up at her guide, taking in his gentle smile. It was comforting, to say the least.

"My lady, you happen to have one of the most powerful monks in the land at your side. I will not let your person come to any harm," he assured her. She smiled in thanks, despite the indelicate snort that came from the Tanuki a little ahead of them. Though she wouldn't say it, she was inclined to agree… past circumstances already proved that she would need to defend herself. She was pretty much on her own in this.

_"You're such a—fuck, just stay back!"_

Or maybe… not so alone?

Kagome smiled then, a real smile (and the friendliest look she'd given the monk since he arrived), and nodded more to herself than anyone else present.

"Okay, let's get going! You said it's only about two weeks' travel, right? Well, let's move it!"

She marched ahead, her hand firmly planted on Miroku's back to get him moving, feeling a little better about this whole thing. She gave her home one last, lingering look – and it was beautiful. She vowed she would return some day.

* * *

_The trees left speckled spots of sunshine sliding across the ground. The path curved to avoid stones and tuffs of long grass, although the trail itself was nearly overgrown. It led down a gentle slope towards some tall and straight trees where the forest was bright and concealed nothing. To her left, she could hear the river tumbling over rocks, and to her right, the distant calls of the village men and women working hard to rebuild their homes. _

_"Mama?" she asked uncertainly. The older woman had been quiet ever since they left the temple, her eyes misted and set on the swaying trees ahead. She gripped her daughter's hand a little tighter at the mention of her name._

_"Just a little further, dear," she said._

_Unlike her earlier hike through the surrounding woods, Kagome could actually make out natural sounds now – the trilling of birds, rustling leaves, and a few chattering squirrels. It was light, green and beautiful here; she liked it very much. _

_"Kagome, you know how your father died, right?" her mother asked finally, and Kagome was so startled by the question she nearly pulled her hand back from her mother's warm and gentle one. _

_"I—yes, Mama…"_

_"Then you know why there is no real grave."_

_Of course. They'd never found his body. How could he have a proper burial when his remains were missing? She herself barely remembered the man – he died just after Souta was born… but there were some things. They were just impressions in dreams she barely remembered. Impressions of impressions by the time the next morning rolled around. She valued them more than anything, though, and still felt a deep sadness over his loss – if not for herself, then for her mother, whom she'd seen on more than one moonless night crying silently in the darkened halls of the temple. _

_"I want to show you something important, Kagome," her mother said, giving her a small and bittersweet smile. Kagome merely nodded, for it became important that she should stay quiet here. The noise of the village was gone, the natural sounds hushed, and a random assembly of trees surrounded them entirely. In a few more years, they might even be able to brush the sky. Flowers started springing up, white with wide petals, forming a wild and untamed garden. It felt like the rooms of the temple, only the air was crisp and fresh._

_'Sacred' was the word that came to mind._

_"They told me to pray extra hard for him, that his soul might find peace, since we could not properly lay him to rest. They told me to light a candle to guide him every night, that he might find his way into the afterlife and not have to wander this world forever. They told me it was such a tragedy that a good man could not have a real grave. So, I decided to give him one."_

_Below sweeping boughs and amongst dew-tipped flowering vines, a small white marble stone rested. Kagome didn't have to read the name to know whose name this place bore. She could have cried._

_"I've never showed this to anyone, Kagome. But this place is his, and I _know _that he is at rest… and I thought he should like to see his daughter, how tall and beautiful she's grown, before she leaves."

* * *

_

A/N: Thanks again for reading. I got… well, many more reviews this chapter, even long after it had been out. That's motivational, lemme tell you. Thanks so much!

Reviews:

_minerva1913:_ Thanks a lot. Praise is fun . And, to be exact, being trapped in death came from my own imagination. The ability to travel into death, however, is inspired by Garth Nix's _Sabriel_ series. Good series, if you're interested.

_stargirl: _Thanks so much. I hope you enjoy these future chapters…

_Zonza: _I'm glad it's original… I'm getting tired of seeing the same plot over and over again, I really wanted to have something for myself that didn't fall into that trap. And "Raven Moon", catchy?! Lol, I thought it was a little on the cheesy side… I'm glad it ended up better than I expected, then.

_Numisma: _Thank you very much, especially for that 'you deserve more reviews' comment. I don't know why, but for some reason, that means a lot. :P

_Midoriko-sama:_ Aw… I've been favourited (not a word – whoops…) And there's way too many words in there that fall under the category of 'complementary' – are you sure you didn't confuse this story with some one else's?

_call me k: _Yes, that sorta bothers me too… if you just copy another's story exactly, there's no originality! And no worries, there will be Inu ears in here… there's a reason why he appears as a human at the start. In fact, I think next chapter has some ears in it… eh, never thought I'd be saying that, lol.

* * *

_Updated: 01/21/05_


	4. How Did This Happen?

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I own this plot line… and… this paper clip on the table here.

_

* * *

__He didn't remember falling, but he remembered hitting the ground. A jarring thud, the village man scrambling away, and pain. He was faintly surprised that he hadn't noticed her coming, but then again, he hadn't seen her as a threat for awhile now. Unfortunate. _**

* * *

**

Raven Moon: Ch. 4, How Did This Happen?

_Author: Cyan I'd_

_Betas: Special thanks to Alex and Sashi

* * *

_

Kagome smiled, tilting her face into the sun and sweet breeze. Her arms were spread wide, fingers trailing along the long grasses at the side of the trail, and her steps were light and easy. Just ahead, the monk made a steady trek for the nearest village, a straight-arrow course for their only hope for a night's sleep without a blanket of stars. To be honest, Kagome was really looking forward to that stay at the inn. She hadn't been out for long – the early afternoon melted into looming twilight, that was all – but as a miko and resident of the temple, cleanliness was fairly high on the priorities list, for the health of their patients and ritual purification. Naturally, to one accustomed to a life of warm bathwater and scrubbing brushes, the dusty roads and grime of travel didn't appeal.

"You're in good spirits," Miroku said,shooting her a small grin. She returned the look, feeling much more at ease with the man after he swore on his own life that he would not touch her on any part of her body unless circumstance demanded it. Of course she reinforced her 'request' with an arrow in one fist, and _of course_ he was completely clear on exactly what circumstances deemed touch necessary.

"Yup. I've decided that if things have to _mostly_ suck, I'll make do with what _doesn't_ suck."

Miroku chuckled to himself. He wasn't at all offended; his was a life far from her own. He understood as best as he could.

"And what, pray tell, _doesn't_ suck?"

A wild gesture followed, encompassing the general area, and the flash of a brilliant smile. "_This _doesn't. Adventure."

"Kagome-sama, you have a dazzling personality," he admitted, charmed by her presence. _And an incredibly pure heart…_ even an untrained _fool_ would see her unblemished soul for what it was. He would just have to double his efforts to protect it, then.

"Thank you," she smiled. The rumble of the wagon slowed, drawing the conversation to a close for the time being. Tanuki stopped on the crest of a hill, bent double and panting, while his two travel-mates caught up. Kagome eyed the raccoon demon carefully.

"Maybe I should pull for awhile…?" she murmured.

"Nonsense," Miroku waved her off, "Tanuki's fine; he could use the exercise." To prove his point, the monk bounced the end of his staff off of the demon's round middle, which gained a rather indignant snort (between gasps for air). "Besides, you couldn't pull it. Machina is heavy, you know."

"Machina… just what sort of priest sells Machina, anyway?" she asked, giving him a critical eye. He smiled good-naturedly her way.

"The travelling kind that doesn't plan on starving to death. Come on, the village is right below us," he gestured, angling his shakujou down the hill. Kagome scanned the small huts and roads with a small frown. The village was tiny, which wasn't a problem, of course – but the small curls of smoke rising from some demolished homesteads _was_.

"Miroku-sama… what happened…?" she murmured.

"Miko-sama, did you really think that your village was the only one having troubles with _youkai_?" he asked, sidestepping the cart and making his way carefully down the steep incline. Tanuki eyed the hill nervously before following, trying to drive the soles of his feet into the tufts of grass to keep the cart from rolling too fast. It was futile, though – he slipped, the cart bounced, ran him over and thundered down the hill with the demon scrambling to catch it. Miroku, to his credit, didn't seem very upset that his livelihood was careening out of control. Kagome sighed and followed, feeling a little uneasy.

* * *

This village, it seemed, was in a very similar situation to her own home, save for one important factor: the temple. There was no miko or priest guarding it, there hadn't been for years, if the talk of old men was anything to go by. A _kami_ was said to reside there once, but the temple was long since desecrated, and on the wings of that atrocity came years of drought, famine, and _youkai_ attacks that escalated in frequency as time went by. Kagome was wary of staying in a place like this – they surely wouldn't turn away a shrine priestess and a travelling monk, such an act would only bring more bad luck down on their heads – but could they really, in all good conscience, put a strain on the village's resources, even if only for one night? 

"We won't be a strain," Miroku assured her, "because I will pay for our lodging and give them good Machina. We will be beneficial, if anything."

"But I don't _approve_ of you using funds from faulty Machina to pay our way, let alone giving them some of the junk itself!" she returned, crossing her arms petulantly. They argued in the middle of the road, the cart off to one side, weary villagers passing by on the other and sparing them an interested glance.

"It's the highest quality Machina in these lands, of course," Miroku declared loudly. Somehow, Kagome suspected it wasn't for her benefit. "Why, I've got numerous _quality_ goods here – the well-known 'Up-lifter' can lift up to _four tonnes_ – speeding up construction by fifty-percent! And, of course, there's the 'Blade Wheel', which sharpens any blade ten times faster than the traditional methods. Why, _anyone_ with youkai problems would _love_ to have one of these."

"I saw that 'Blade Wheel' fall out of the cart and crash into a tree!" Kagome hissed.

"It's very durable."

"It started as one piece. Now there are _two_ pieces."

"Some assembly required."

"Are you a_monk,_ or a shady businessman?" Kagome sighed, rubbing her forehead. Really, she could feel a headache coming on… already. One day into their travels.

"You're quite right, Kagome-sama," Miroku said seriously. He looked determined now, with a confident stance and a strong grip on his staff. He surveyed the damaged surroundings with a critical eye, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"This… this is terrible. These people have been completely _ravaged_. If they don't find some way to defend themselves soon, this village won't last," he stated calmly, a hint of regret lacing is tone. Kagome nodded, but said nothing. She was still in training. She wasn't sure what she could do to help these people in the long run, save staying there and helping to defend their village – which simply wasn't an option.

"We should do what we can while we're here – but don't compromise much-needed rest, Kagome-sama. We still have a long way to go."

"Absolutely," Kagome agreed, clenching the strap of her pack a little tighter. Women, children, whole families… she could tell which ones were in mourning. She still remembered the way her mother was when her father didn't come back that time… tired, red-eyed and shrouded in black. Some things, it seemed, were truly universal.

"Kagome-sama, I'll leave it to you to figure out what you can do. I, for one, can feel an instinctual calling to where I am needed. My senses tell me that lovely group of ladies over there requires some comfort in these terrible, terrible times."

Kagome watched him pad off, fighting the tick that started to develop under her eye.

"Doesn't he… have any… shame…?" she muttered. The Tanuki shook his head, leaning heavily against the cart.

Kagome sighed and let her pack slide to the ground, searching for any sign of what might be the headman's home. She really didn't know what she could do to help, but perhaps if she talked to the headman, he could point her towards whichever hut housed the injured? With no miko, it was unlikely the sick or injured were being cared for properly. Her knowledge of healing herbs and proper care might just come in handy, and alleviate a little of that guilt that came with staying here for the night.

She walked carefully down the dusty path, her bow still slung over one shoulder and eyes carefully scanning the people as she passed. She knew they were watching her curiously, and it made her feel just a little self-conscious. She came into town with a monk, this much the people knew. However, what they _didn't_ know was that she herself possessed spiritual powers – as a priestess in training, she didn't yet don the traditional garb of a true shrine maiden. She was a little thankful for that, now.

All of the shacks looked as though they were frozen in the midst of tumbling down. Villagers came and went carelessly through the doorways of their broken homes. They wore shredded clothes and worn-out faces. They were very thin.

_Hard times_, Kagome thought, grimly. She stopped in front of a slightly larger lodging with five stone steps cut into the small slope that led up to the door and crowned with a decorative banner that had seen better days. Crossing her fingers, Kagome guessed this was the place she was looking for and headed up to the door, her fingers twitching to hold her arrows. She always felt that way when she was anxious.

_This is so stupid… I don't even know what I'm doing! But, then again, anything is better than nothing, I suppose._

"Excuse me…?"

The hut was cool and dark. A man was bowed over a piece of parchment paper, discussing it with another man. The light that spilled from the doorway glinted off something long and metallic in the corner – a sword, maybe?

"Yes, miss?" one asked respectfully. Kagome flushed with embarrassment. Here she was, intruding on their home, and yet she was the one that was getting all the respect. She bowed slightly in acknowledgement (as she had seen her own mother do) and stepped fully into the hut.

"I'm very sorry to disturb you, sir. I just arrived here with a friend, and we were hoping to find a place to stay for the night. However, it looks like you've had a hard time of things, so I thought I'd offer to help in any way I can," she explained, choosing her words carefully. She wanted to come off as mature and schooled – not as the child that she was.

"That so?" the other drawled. Kagome immediately guessed by his confident and authoritative mannerisms that _he_ was the headman. "What can you help us with, child?"

"I came from a village about a day's walk from here. I'm a priestess in training – I'll do whatever I can."

"A priestess…? That's very fortunate news, hm, Toshio-sama? Well, you could certainly take a look at our injured fellows, if that's not too much trouble. We're looking after people in our own homes, I'm afraid – the temple didn't feel safe – and they're at the center of town."

"I wouldn't mind at all." Kagome smiled, a friendly, open expression. The village headman – Toshio, apparently – nodded to his companion.

"Go ahead and take her there, then. I think we've done all we can here."

The other man nodded in response, then gestured for Kagome to make her way outside. He followed, cutting a wide path across the stone steps and heading down the road away from where Tanuki waited with the cart.

"How bad are the demon attacks?" she asked, keeping pace by his side. She studied his profile curiously, noting a strong, set jaw and soft, brown eyes.

"Very bad. We managed to fend them off for quite awhile, but recently they've gotten much worse," he explained. He glanced her way, a bitter smile on his face. "We've lost many people, miko-sama."

"You can call me 'Kagome'. I'm sorry to hear that," she replied softly, fingering the smooth wood of her bow. She felt anxious all over again, fighting the urge to take an arrow in hand, just in case.

"Not your troubles, Kagome-sama. Do not fret," he waved her off.

"What about calling for help? A priest, a priestess?"

"We tried asking a couple of neighbouring villages if they knew of anyone that would be willing to come here and help – none could be spared, it seemed."

"And the _taijiya_?" she pressed. Demon slayers… certainly _they_ would respond to this village's need?

"We tried that, too. Sent for them about three weeks ago. Rumours have been going around, though, that even the _taijiya _are hard-pressed right about now. They're so busy trying to protect their own village, they barely have time to meet the demands of so many others."

"I didn't realize… things had gotten so bad," Kagome said softly.

"It's not the sort of thing that the knowledgeable like to spread."

* * *

Kagome sighed and stared up at the ceiling. She could still make out some shapes and swirls in the dark, the work of some painter or another when times were better, and wondered if there would ever be time for such pretty things and thoughts again. The moon was full and high, casting pale, silver light over a village too quiet to be natural. It seemed the people were even too afraid to breathe loudly in their sleep. 

She turned on her side, studying her soft, rounded nails and calloused hands. Years of working with bows and arrows had long since eroded the soft, feminine velvet of her fingers – only princesses were allowed to keep such dainty loveliness. It didn't bother her, though, not in the least. She couldn't imagine just kneeling by a window as the men march off to war. She would want to _do something_.

She suddenly missed her mother and brother. They were only a day away, but to her, that was so much more than what was tolerable. They'd been there her whole life, and now they were gone – would she ever see them again? Things had changed so much… if only she hadn't gone out that day, found that undead _youkai_, would all of this mess been averted?

_Silly fool… it would have happened anyway._

Kagome frowned. That had sounded sort of like that boy… which she wasn't entirely sure was healthy. Talking to yourself was bad enough, but when the opposition sounds like some spirit from beyond the grave, well… maybe she was just a little stressed lately.

Kagome snorted and turned over, fully prepared to drift back to sleep, when a loud crash nearly stopped her heart. It sounded like splintering wood and a low, rumbling thunder that sent vibrations even through the house she stayed in. On the heels of that came a few panicked screams.

"What—?!"

"Kagome-sama, rise and shine!" Miroku called, banging on her door. Kagome scrambled to her feet, thankful that she'd chosen a shirt and an old skirt that kept her decent to wear to bed. Of course, they weren't in the peak of fashion… and was that a frayed edge, there?

Another crash reminded her that _now_ was not the time for fashion critiques. She snatched her bow from the corner of the room and tore out the door, pounding down the small hall towards the front of the house. The monk was already there, shakujou gripped in one hand, expression dead serious and slightly apprehensive.

"I'm here, I'm here! What's going on?" Kagome gasped, halting beside the wayward monk.

"It seems that we're under attack… but honestly, Kagome-sama, you _did_ have time to put on some clothes – just wrapping an old ratty blanket around your waist will really impede battle, and—"

"It's a _skirt_," Kagome snapped, brushing her fingers against the woollen fabric. It was _not _ratty!

…was it?

"Oh. Well. I…" Miroku blinked, not sure what to say to pacify the girl. He was tempted to tell her that it really was a very _nice_ skirt… but she wasn't stupid. She'd see right through that blatant lie, for sure.

"Houshi-sama! Miko-sama! The southern border of the village!" a villager gasped, running up to the two in the midst of their fashion dilemma.

"Of course. Gather the village men, move the women and children away and into the centre of the village – we'll see what we can do!" Miroku commanded, tugging on Kagome's hand to get her moving. They crossed the road and cut between a few huts, making quick progress towards the source of the rising smoke and calls of the men trying to turn away the latest threat.

A large centipede rose from behind the roofs of the intact houses, complete with multiple arms and long, oily black hair. Kagome and Miroku stopped just behind a cluster of men, armed with whatever they could find, it seemed – poles, swords, bows and arrows, garden utensils – not that it would do them much good.

"Miroku-sama…" Kagome started, but she didn't have to finish. It was fairly obvious that the youkai attacking the village suffered from the rather unhealthy condition of _death_, if the strings of rotting meat hanging from between the hard plates of its carcass were any indication.

"Again…?"

The centipede by then knew of their presence, leering down at the pair with a lazy grin.

_"You. Priestess."_

Kagome started and looked around, as if expecting another priestess to come forward and raise her hand.

_"I've been looking for you."_

The sections of her body crunched as they shifted while she lowered herself down towards Kagome, keeping the same wide grin stretching her bloated lips.

Kagome turned on her heel and bolted, heading straight out of the village. She knew she had to lead it away from the villagers, there was no question about that – the only decision she had to make was whether to run left or right. Behind her, the centipede screamed in outrage, crashing through whatever homes were left standing to give chase to the young girl. Kagome put on an extra burst of speed, the feeling of death crackling through her veins like icy flames.

She scrambled down a small grassy slope, heading for a small stream that headed straight into the forest. She had to get it away from the village – it was obvious that the only reason the centipede was there was because of her.

_'…the nature of death is like a pool of water. A disturbance in one place sends ripples across all time, and all things that have the power to be aware learn of it. There is no doubt in my mind that your… experiences in the other world have already roused the attention of many things wicked and powerful. No matter what path you choose, miko-sama, be careful of your steps.'_

Good advice. She _really_ wished it was a little more useful in this instance, though.

"I could use… a little… _help_…" she panted, shrieking as the demon skimmed along the ground and drove up clumps of earth and vegetation. She ducked instinctively, wondering if this time she wouldn't survive – it was bound to happen sooner or later, at this rate.

* * *

Inuyasha watched the small waves lap against his leg with a sort of bored detachment. He reclined lazily against what seemed to be a rough 'rock', uncaring of how it got there or what caused it. It was damn convenient, though. And relaxing. Although, there really was no need to relax – around here, there wasn't much to get you tense. Unless, of course, you counted the undead spirits that clawed their way through the icy barrier between death and the in-between in hopes of returning to the living world to feast on flesh… or, whatever it is that they did. 

"Hey… what are you up to?" he asked, inclining his head slightly to the mortal girl. She had been carrying on for a couple minutes now, shrieking and grunting and struggling with the eight or so human arms of an undead centipede.

"I'm fighting for my _life_, what does it look like?!" she cried, wrenching her ankle out of its grasp and barely dodging as it lunged for her, fangs first.

"And how's that going for you?" he drawled lazily, tracing circles in the water by his knee.

"Are you _nuts?_!" she cried. The centipede made another pass, but the girl managed to throw up a feeble barrier to keep it back. Inuyasha paused to seriously consider her question. It _was_ possible, seeing as years of staring at nothing but bleak grey would probably drive even the most stable of people over the edge.

"Are you going to help me?" she asked, planting her feet and squaring her shoulders. The centipede coiled before her, casting a bemused glance at the boy on the ice.

"Nope."

Well then. Kagome swallowed nervously, focussing on the problem at hand – she'd deal with the stupid jerk later. Right now, she was in severe danger of being eaten alive by a half-rotted centipede. Good thing that she'd brought her bow and arrow with her this time when she pulled the both of them through, although she wasn't sure how. Her clothes always made the jump between living and dead easily enough, though, so maybe weapons passed the same way.

Kagome snatched an arrow and threw herself to the side to once again avoid a dive from the demon. She landed hard on the ice, scraping her hands and knees in the process, but ignored it. If she could just put an arrow in the _youkai_'s heart… that should buy her the time she needed. She knocked an arrow, drew back the bowstring, and forgot about the _other_ end of the demon – until it whipped around and snapped her forward towards the gaping jaws. She screamed and landed hard, fighting to drag air into her lungs as a dizzy spell washed over her. Her back screamed in pain. She really wouldn't be surprised if that had cracked a few ribs.

"Nice," Inuyasha snorted, raising his brows. Kagome struggled to her hands and knees, numb with shock from the sudden jarring pain, and shot him her first ever Death Glare.

_"Some priestess… what was he worried about, hm?"_ the centipede purred, lowering herself and stretching her jaws wider. Too easy. A free meal, though, was always welcome and appreciated.

"Oh, _forget_ this…!" Kagome hissed, discarding the bow and arrow. She gritted her teeth, drew herself up on her knees, and glared defiantly at the demon. She threw herself into the sense of death, let it wash over her with ease – cold, hollow, endless and empty – but she could feel the ties that bound the creature easily, a cord that crossed her line of vision.

"Your hold on this world is very weak," she told it solemnly, and snapped that little cord with a flex of her aura. The centipede screamed in outrage, decayed muscles bunching as she prepared to strike, but it was a little too late. The sections of her body slackened and fell apart, her hair hit the water in small clumps, and her eyes sunk back into their sockets. She fell limply onto the ice and faded away, leaving the pair seemingly alone.

_Even if I put a stop to this… the nightmares will never end._

Kagome stared at the spot where her adversary used to be, blinking back tears. She wondered idly if they would freeze on her cheeks, or simply fall and become a part of the shallow waters that spread over the ice. She shifted, and regretted it immediately – pain shot up her back. She turned to face the boy on the ice, careful not to jar her already screaming nerves any further.

"You… _jerk_…" she spat, trembling. Inuyasha stared steadily back at her, his expression closed.

"Oh? Come now, _priestess_, no need for name-calling," he answered. He made her title sound like a curse. The haunting lilt to his tone brought the image of thick red blood beneath his nails. He tilted his head to the side, giving her a humourless smile that brought a shiver to her spine. "Ne?"

"Why didn't you _help _me? You should have!"

"Oh, is that so? I'm sorry, I didn't know. There's really no one around here to tell me these things," he replied, raising a hand to indicate the desolate surrounding area. If his intention was to point out the fact that it was just them in an effort to scare her, it worked. Her initial misgivings about the strange boy _who she knew nothing about_ came back and hit her full force.

"What's with you? What happened?" she demanded, drawing her arms closer to her body. _It's getting colder_…

"A talk with an old friend."

He gained his feet gracefully, trudging through the shallow water towards the huddled priestess.

"He pointed out some obvious things, you know. Which led me to wonder… why should I stick my neck out for a bratty bitch like you?" he asked her, his features darkening. He looked her over lazily, raising an eyebrow at what she wore. "You don't even dress well. You're wearing a carpet, for fuck's sake."

"It's a _skirt_," she snapped, tugging at one of the threads that hung loose from her shirt. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end now, the cold creeping around her and icing her veins. He seemed paler, somehow, his eyes darker, lips bluish… he looked far from living, and frighteningly close to dead.

"Like I give a shit. I think it would be better to call it your _burial shroud_, little girl," he said. He stopped directly in front of her, hair falling forward in a way that she would have found endearing had it not been so terribly black against the white of his skin. A small pulse of energy rattled her breath, but it was not her own – it was this boy's, and it felt like it had been dredged from the depths of death's rivers. She pulled back into herself, tried once to speak, and failed.

"What… what are you…?" she murmured, but it was so hard to get the words out. Her back still ached, but her eyes were wide and for once took no notice of the endless grey. All she saw was a curving, wicked smile, black eyes and near-translucent skin.

"I'm saying that I'd like to see you _dead_, you stupid bitch."

He lunged as she threw herself back, shrieking as her abused back collided with the ice. Beneath, she could feel a rustling restlessness, bloated fingers scrabbling against the barrier to reach her own living flesh. Inuyasha clamped a hand on her ankle, dragging her toward him – his fingers were chilled. She clawed at the ice – _nonononononononono…! – _but he was so much stronger than she could ever hope to be. As she scraped closer to that terrible smile and sunken eyes, she simply panicked.

* * *

"_No—"_ she screamed and sat bolt upright, her chest heaving as she gulped large, terrified breaths. He was going to kill her… he was really going to kill her… but he had _saved _her before! 

It took her a few moments to realize that the feeling between her fingers was grass, not water, and that she could smell flowers and see green rather than grey and the distance scent of something old and decayed. A blink, and she registered Miroku's voice, desperately calling for her from the direction of the village.

To her left the bones of the centipede arched from the ground, chipped and brown, lit by the early-morning sunlight that barely crested the horizon. It was what she saw in front of the bones, however, that brought back the ache in her back and choked her with fear. A boy, curled over, staring in dull shock at long, slender fingers. It was undoubtedly Inuyasha.

* * *

A/N: Well well, just in time for Christmas, it seems. Happy holidays (whatever you celebrate, if at all) and have a great new year, everyone. I'm off to shovel snow… 

Reviews:

_Midoriko-sama:_ …hey. Only three chapters in, and I've already been thwacked twice? This does not bode well… but thank you for your continued support!

_Aoi EkO:_ I'm glad that you enjoyed it so much. I don't think I've ever been thanked for writing before… excuse me will I go over in a corner and blush. I hope this chapter lived up to the rest, then.

_Zonza:_ Author _and_ stories… woof. Now I feel special. Well, here (was) another update, I hope you enjoyed reading it – and you have yourself a good day as well ;)

_call me k:_ Eh… sorry! I know I promised Inu-ears, but I just couldn't squeeze them in. This chapter dragged on a lot more than I meant it to. But, this time I really mean it, there _will_ be ears in the next chapter – and pretty much right off the bat.

_Numisma:_ Keep it up, and my head will get too big to fit through doorways. It's reassuring to hear that you think characterization is good – seeing as this is AU and all, that's a tricky one to handle.

_Jezzibelle:_ Woohoo for uniqueness! ::dances::

Eh… thank you very much. It's good to hear that last scene worked out alright – I was going for 'touching' .

_mokusei & ixchen: _Thank you!

_Maffeoel:_ One of the best things… oh man, now there's _pressure_! Eep. As for the rest of the Inu-cast, Sango's got her spot cemented in, but the rest… well, we'll see if they play in as the story progresses, ne?

_Crimsondemon_: Obvious…? Maa, I didn't know that. But thank you. And yes, Sabriel is much fun. Cheers!

_**To everyone who reviewed, thank you very much! Happy holidays! It really means a lot… ** _

**

* * *

**

Updated: 01/21/05


	5. Hanyou

Disclaimer: The usual fare.

**Warning:** Fluff ambush!!!

* * *

_This time he ground the path with his bare feet, knees folding, muscles bunching, then the thrill of wind whipping through his air and rushing past his face – he could barely suck in a breath, felt his stomach drop out as the earth rose to meet him, the jolt as he hit the ground once more then pushed off again – and he loved every minute of it. _

'_That is freedom.' _

* * *

**Raven Moon: Ch. 5, Hanyou**

_Author: Cyan I'd_

_Beta: Sashi

* * *

_

That girl was screaming shrilly again. For now, though, he really didn't care. He stared at his hands, at the grass behind, at the lighting from the sun that he hadn't seen in years. Centuries, even.

Somewhere between sight and thought, the fact of his whereabouts got stuck. He _couldn't_ be in the real world… that simply wasn't possible. Life was a place denied to the dead, and he was most certainly dead in every sense of the term. But the evidence was irrefutable – the feel of the wind, the smell of the woods, the colour of the grass. He was a little disturbed to realize that he couldn't remember what it was called.

"What… what colour is grass?" he asked faintly.

"…green," Kagome replied, sounding just as numb as he.

"Green," he repeated, fighting the strange urge to giggle.

Kagome worked to even her breathing, to fight her panic. This was okay… she could fix this… right?

Inuyasha shakily stood, his skin prickling at the feel of the weeds tickling his feet. A small breeze tumbled his hair over his shoulders; he was startled to find that sections of silver lined the black strands. Wait, were they growing _larger_?

"Are you… really here?" Kagome asked hesitantly. Inuyasha quit scrutinizing his hair in favour of shooting her a very convincing _'You are a Moron'_ look. Kagome scowled, but silently acknowledged that she'd deserved that one. After all, he _was_ standing in the very same meadow she was huddled in, with the grass sticking up between his toes and the wind ruffling his red clothes. He looked much different than he had in the whitewash of the in-between. He was still very pale, but he moved so naturally, and his eyes were no longer the sunken hollows that they were moments before. On the tail end of that thought rode the phantom feel of cold and clammy fingers clamped around her ankle. Kagome shivered despite the warmth.

"I… I have to send you back," she decided out loud, ignoring the guilt that gripped her heart.

"What?"

A small pulse of energy derailed that train of thought for the both of them. Kagome's heart skipped a beat, panic welling in her chest before she realised that her _other_ senses were warning her of youki, not death. In light of the events of the past few days, she'd nearly forgotten she was still a priestess.

The energy pulsed again, stronger this time, and she connected it almost immediately to Inuyasha himself. His hair stirred with the dark aura, bleeding silvery white, as claws lengthened on his fingers. He blinked, and eyes once dark were now golden. He stared once more at his fingers (and their razor-tipped ends) and gave a little nostalgic smile that revealed fangs.

Demon. Or rather, _half_ demon – she could still feel the humanity in him even now, buried under layers of primal and feral youki. A hanyou dog, from the looks of it, which of course brought her focus to his ears… and her irrational urge to march right up to him and tweak them. Dog ears, furry, soft, planted right on top of his head; her fingers twitched.

Past experience told her that he would more than likely gut her if she tried it, so she shirked that idea in favour of trying to seriously handle a problematic situation. She stood as well, trying to make herself look a little more authoritative and imposing.

"You have to go back, I have to send you back," she said again. Almost lazily, he dragged his eyes away from the claws to pin her with his gaze. The corners of his lips almost twitched into a smile, but he suppressed it.

"Oh?"

"You don't _belong_ here."

"I don't belong there, either. I don't belong anywhere."

"If you won't go, I'll _make_ you go—"

"You'll _make_ me?"

There was a pause after his interruption. Then, Inuyasha started laughing: harsh, rumbling and unpleasant. He flicked his claws and strode towards her, his movements completely fluid and enviably graceful, contrary to the rest of the dead that she'd met so far. She took a jolting step back, then another, her eyes flicking from his face to those murderous claws and back again. The back of her heel hit a rock and she tripped, landing unceremoniously on her rear and jarring her injured back again. She cried out, and he stopped, standing right before her. He watched her with a neutral, calm expression. She had to crane her neck just to make eye contact.

"If you try it, I'll kill you," he said.

This is the scene that Miroku was met with when he finally arrived, a trail of village men hot on his heels. Kagome, the young miko he had sworn to himself to protect, huddled on the ground not even two feet from a silver-haired demon boy. The stained shards of bones in the background testified to her defeat of the centipede.

He abruptly slowed and threw out a hand to ward the villagers back. His robes whispered across the grass as he cautiously approached the pair, eager to help Kagome, but weary of setting off the demon. With it so close to the girl, it could rip her to shreds before anyone even thought of intervening.

"Kagome…?" he tried cautiously. He hooked his staff under one arm and gripped the beads wrapped around his hand, watching the demon for even a mere _twitch_.

If she died, he'd make damn sure it died too.

A shiver swept over him, along with recognition. He'd been in too much of a rush before, and too worried moments ago, but now his second senses stretched out and met the harsh aura of youki surrounding the boy. While his abilities were nowhere near as strong as Kagome's, he could still recognize death when he felt it. Whatever this youkai-boy was, it was from beyond the grave.

"Kagome, send it back," he urged softly. One of the youkai's ears flicked in his direction, but there was no change of expression. He kept golden eyes levelled carefully on Kagome's pale features, perhaps trying to judge what she planned to do.

"Kagome, send it into death, you—"

"She _can't_, you fucking moron."

Miroku was so startled when the demon spoke, he nearly jumped. He frowned and felt out the aura further, making a slight adjustment in his assessment of the situation – this was no youkai, this was a _hanyou_. Kagome seemed equally floored, forgetting her fear for the moment in favour of shock and curiosity.

"What – why?" she asked. Inuyasha snorted indelicately.

"Don't _tell _me that none of you can feel it," he drawled, breaking out into a mocking grin. This only served to display his pointed fangs, setting Miroku even further on edge.

_What is he talking about…?_ The monk wondered, singling out the energies of the hostile aura – death, humanity, demon energy, and… _life_?

His eyes widened in surprise. Inuyasha glanced his way, grinning wider.

"See? He gets it. You're a little slow, girl. Think about it. This whole time, you've been putting the dead back into death – and it wasn't hard, was it? After all, they belonged there. They just fought and clawed their way to the surface, broke into the land of the living, but they were still dead. They were still bound to the world beyond, and how easily you snapped their delicate hold on this plane."

Kagome's dread grew with every word, until she felt sick from the weight in the pit of her stomach. Of _course_; now that he'd pointed it out, it was painfully and horribly obvious.

Inuyasha was dead, but he was no longer bound to death. She'd brought him through, and she'd connected him to the living world. She _couldn't_ send him back – not at her current skill level – she didn't know how.

Miroku tensed and dashed forward, swinging his staff in a wide arc straight at the hanyou's head. He hadn't counted on the hanyou's fast reflexes and pure speed, though, so his prey leapt beyond his reach and he stumbled slightly, over balanced. He cursed himself for such an oversight – that was the kind of mistake an amateur would make – but it was too late now. Inuyasha had already dashed forward and gripped the monk's arm, twisting it cruelly until Miroku cried out and dropped the shakujou.

With his free hand, Inuyasha swiped at the monk, intent on ripping him in two. It had been a very long time since he'd felt tearing flesh beneath his claws… too long. It was all so surreal, the sky, the scent of flowers and leaves, the whispering of trees – it fed the dream-like rush of bloodlust that pumped through his veins. That girl wanted to send him back. This monk wanted to send him back. The answer was simple: they both had to die.

Miroku did his best to avoid the deadly strike, but with his arm trapped, he could only go so far. His clothes tore, a flash of shock and pain crackled along his nerves, and a sharp agony engulfed his arm, further twisted by his evasion. The hanyou let him go, watching dispassionately as he landed hard on the ground with a soft cry.

You could say many things about Miroku, but you could not say he was a fool or a coward when it came to fighting. He wedged his bad arm between the soft earth and himself with only a small wince, raised his staff horizontally in defence, and glared defiantly at his attacker. Inuyasha just stood silently over him, a crooked smile spread across his face.

"Well. Good job," he sneered. Miroku grimaced, but could not keep his own all-knowing smile from growing. His injured, throbbing arm twitched, feeling the weight of the rosary beads.

"Don't worry, I've still got an ace or two up my sleeve," he responded smoothly. Inuyasha's expression shifted into one of confusion. He tilted his head to the side.

"A what?"

Then Kagome was behind him, furious, and more than a little rumpled – one hand held one of her arrows up high, the other was clenched into a fist. One of the hanyou's ears flicked back, catching her rustling footsteps, but she drove her arrow deep into his shoulder before he even bothered to turn. He staggered in surprise, tearing his gaze away from Miroku to settle on Kagome with a half turn.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.

"What does it look like?" Kagome countered.

"Idiot, you can't kill me. You can't even _hurt_ me."

"You're part of this plane, remember? Well, that means that your _soul_ is too," she answered, and drove every ounce of spiritual energy she could muster into the cool, sleek wood of the arrow and the arrowhead buried deep in his shoulder. At first, she was afraid she'd been wrong, and her sealing spell would have no effect. But after only a second, the hanyou flinched and hissed in pain, then jerked away from her. He stumbled back and reached up for the arrow, but the shaft was gone – in her surprise, Kagome had forgotten to let go, so now she stood with part of it in her hand, the rest buried beyond reach in the flesh of his shoulder.

"You…" Inuyasha glared hatefully at her, fingers still twitching for the piece of arrow that wasn't there, trying to ignore the numbness that was all too quickly spreading. "…Kikyou," he spat, collapsing.

Kagome took one small step, then another. Inuyasha was hunched over and shaking slightly, his hair falling like a curtain over his face.

"What…? Who's Kikyou?" she asked shakily. Miroku stared at the hanyou, then painfully rose to his feet. He touched a hand to the diagonal slashes across his chest, wincing. They were long, but they weren't deep, for the most part. He might need a few stitches here or there.

"Get my wagon. Bring it here," he ordered the villagers breathlessly. No one made a sound, the men looking to one another before a couple hesitantly began to step away.

"_All_ of you, go. Now."

Kagome's eyes were glued to the hanyou boy. Silver, red, and winter – these were the things that composed him. She'd seen him under grey, grey skies. She'd seen him in the sunlight, and she'd felt his cold grip and icy stare. She saw him now, curled in the grass, one hand clamped over a bloodless wound.

"Kikyou… you're just like her," he hissed. The very same words from anyone else would have been guided by tears, she somehow knew.

Despite it all, she didn't hate him.

* * *

It was well past midday, but far from twilight. The only sound was the wind in the trees and the occasional call of birds, all set against the rhythmic grind and bump of the wooden wagon. Kagome kept pace beside the lightened load, her bow slung over her shoulder along with a quiver. Her eyes were downcast, partially to avoid the glare of the sun, mostly to disregard the guilt she felt. Despite her best efforts, her attention was still drawn to the wagon.

Miroku was walking in front, having insisted that he really needed to stretch his legs. He'd been alternating sitting on the front of the wagon and going by foot, prone to occasional bouts of exhaustion thanks to the healing herbs and painkillers the villagers had given him. Twenty-seven stitches in all. He'd gotten quite bored and resorted to counting them while the villagers loaded up their wagon with supplies and whatever machina he hadn't managed to sell. They'd been very grateful to the pair for stopping the centipede demons, and for the purification of some of the houses and the temple, not to mention the wards they planted along the village border to help fend off further youkai attacks.

They'd even supplied horses, allowing Tanuki to hitch a ride for once rather than tug their wares along. He was, needless to say, quite pleased.

Kagome yawned, stretching slightly. The early-morning wake-up call, the escape from the centipede, and an over-use of her growing powers over death all conspired to utterly exhaust her. She needed a rest, and the wagon would likely be the best place for it – it was cool, dark, and they wouldn't have to stop. Those were her reasons. Those were her _only_ reasons. She made sure to tell herself this before putting the suggestion to Miroku.

"If you don't mind," she said, "I'd like to rest a bit. I'll just curl up in the wagon, I don't want to be delayed any more."

"Are you sure?" he asked. He was very uncertain. After all, when her safety was in question…

But Kagome was determined. She frowned and made her 'displeased female' face, one which she had learned tended to keep the monk in line. It seemed he'd had more than enough experience with the fairer sex to learn the warning signals and consequences of Ye Wrath of Woman.

"Don't you trust my spells?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"Then it's fine."

Miroku scrutinised her for a moment before reluctantly nodding to her. Kagome gave him her most encouraging, bright smile and headed to the wagon, gripping the sides and hauling the tarp up so she could climb inside. Once there, she scooted across the floor, mindful of slivers and using the thin slats of yellow light to guide herself. It seemed Miroku managed to sell off many of his goods, especially at the last village (except for the Blade Wheel – when he'd tried to peddle that off on some poor fool, he experienced the very first Ye Wrath of Woman occurrence. It was now stored in the far corner, awaiting repairs). The wagon was only half full of metal junk, now, plus one tired priestess…

And one surly hanyou.

_"We can't just leave him here, who knows what would happen."_

_"How are we supposed to take him with us? He's wild and uncontrollable, Kagome-sama – and he can't move with that spell of yours on him."_

_"I know… but this is my mess. I have to fix it, you know?"_

_"I understand, Kagome-sama. I think we might have one option…"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Take him with us – there's a miko in a village just slightly out of our way that might be able to help."_

Kagome sighed. Miroku never elaborated on exactly _how_ this priestess might solve their problems, but in the meantime, it was their best option, it seemed. She set aside her bow and arrow and searched the shadows for the outline of her saviour/villain, feeling that now-familiar pang of guilt.

"Hey…" she prodded, making sure to keep her distance. She was fairly sure that her spell would keep him immobile, but it was better not to tempt fate.

There was the rustle of cloth as he shifted, letting his hand drop into one of those lines of light, the rest remaining in obscurity. He said nothing, though, and after a minute of tense silence passed, Kagome decided to try again.

"Hey… are you alright?" she asked, squinting to try to make out his features. It was useless – he was propped up against a wall in the corner, drawing the dark and damp shadow of the tarp around himself like a shroud. She could almost feel the glare he sent her way, though, aiming to pierce her heart.

"I'm _fine_," he snapped, gruff and short. Kagome couldn't tell for sure whether or not he was telling the truth – she already knew that he couldn't feel _physical_ pain, but her miko energy attacked the soul and energy. Surely, he could feel that?

"Are you sure? Because, you know, I'm sorry, but I had to. I just… if there's anything I can do…"

"You can go fuck yourself, bitch."

Kagome jerked as if she'd been slapped, her mouth opening and closing as she struggled to say something. Then, the anger came, hot and fiery, along with righteous indignation.

"_What_ did you say?!"

"I said, _go fuck yourself_. I don't need help from a clueless little twat like you," he said. Kagome resisted the urge to grab the nearest piece of machina and hurl it at the rude hanyou. She couldn't do that – it might upset Miroku. He had to live off selling this stuff, after all.

"I am _not _a clueless little twat, you—you _jerk_!"

"Uh-huh," he snorted in obvious doubt. "I can see that you don't having a fucking clue as to what you're doing, _miko_. I'd say that's a clear symptom of being a clueless twat."

"That's not true. I know exactly what I'm doing, or have you forgotten why you're stuck here already?" she snapped back triumphantly. If she was a clueless twat, _he_ was the moron that was subdued because of her.

"Have _you_ forgotten why I'm even here in the first place?" he responded coolly, and Kagome's mouth shut with an audible _click_. He had her on that one. She glared at the silhouette of the boy, ready and willing to lash out with her own insults, but she thought better of it. _He_ was no more than an immature jerk. _She_ was better than that.

"You know what? Fine. You're right. I _don't_ know what I'm doing – when it comes to death. I'm a priestess. I've been _raised_ as a priestess – not some sort of necromancer, or whatever. I never wanted this, but it was just dumped on me a day ago, when I first met you. However, when it comes to being a miko, I know exactly what I'm doing, and if you're done, I'm going to get some rest," she declared. She waited a few moments for an answer before settling down into a more comfortable position, pulling a blanket off the top of a nearby crate. The floor was hard and uncomfortable, but she was so tired – she hadn't even realized how much until she shut her eyes.

* * *

_Dark. The wagon…?_

_No. Someplace else. Someplace different. A thick, damp and woodsy smell, a sweet breeze blowing cool air in from somewhere. A window. _

_A water basin sat in the center of the room, reflecting the strands of silver light that spilled in the window. The shadows were too dark and deep for her eyes to penetrate. _

_She was sad. Was she crying? Yes, she was… and she was not afraid. This was important, because she knew she was going to die now – but she wasn't afraid at all. _

_And then there was something in the corner, something in the inky dark, something unnatural and wicked and it thirsted for the blood in her veins. _

_"I hate you," both she and the thing spoke at once._

Kagome nearly woke up screaming. She sucked in a deep, frightened breath, but the scream caught in her throat. She sat bolt upright, scrabbling at the boards and blanket before finally clutching a hand over her heart in a futile attempt to slow it.

At first, she didn't know where she was. The last vestiges of her dream clung like a sticky spider's web, leaving her trapped in memories of black and sorrow and prowling, wicked things. The wood smell was slightly different here, though – drier, with more dust in the air. There was no water basin, nor any small window to let in cracks of light – just the little gaps in the tarp that illuminated the wagon enough for her to see. Judging by those, it was nearing evening now – she'd slept for a couple of hours.

The small sound from the far side of the wagon welled panic in her once more, reinforcing a few of the last remnants of those dream-images – _I hate you_ – but she scolded herself silently. It wasn't some ravenous shadow-thing ready to tear her heart out. It was only Inuyasha, which wasn't _that_ much of a comfort, but at least he wasn't about to swoop down on her and do away with her. Well, not with that arrow still in him, anyway.

Speaking of whom… why was his breathing so very harsh?

Quietly, so as to avoid making a sound, Kagome freed her legs of the blanket and half-turned to where the hanyou remained. From the thin slats of light she could see he was hunched over, his shoulders shaking and falling with each gasping breath. One hand was clutched over his shoulder once more.

Kagome frowned. He was _hurting_, that much was obvious, but why? Was it because of her spell, the arrowhead? He claimed before that it didn't hurt, that he was the mighty and invincible undead manly hanyou (although not in so many words) and she was only the foolish little priestess girl that happened to get a lucky break. Arrogant idiot. Maybe he just wanted her to think that she was weak and pitiful, and that her spell didn't affect him that much. Or maybe… the other way? Perhaps he didn't want to appear weak and pitiful?

Whatever reason, Kagome's gnawing guilt was back full force – double, even. She chewed her lip and frowned, debating inwardly. On one hand, he was a bloodthirsty demon; he deserved everything he got. He was egotistical and a jerk, and he claimed that the arrow didn't hurt and he didn't need her help. So, why should she offer it once more?

Then again…

Kagome sighed to herself and moved to her hands and knees, berating her foolishness. She was sure he hadn't already heard her, and maybe if she was quiet, she could make it over there before he noticed her actions and told her off.

He was a hanyou. He had demon blood in him. But he also had _human_ blood, and regardless of race, Kagome couldn't stand to see others in pain. Despite the fact that he'd tried to kill her, and mostly likely would go through with it if she ever freed him. She tried to bring those memories to the forefront, really, she did – cold fingers clamped around her ankle, a menacing snarl, hollow and black eyes – but behind it all stretched a cold and lonely landscape of grey.

She was at his side, and he still didn't notice.

_Well, too late to turn back…_ she told herself, and took a steadying breath. Hopefully her spell worked just as well as she claimed.

She reached out pale, trembling fingers, and lightly touched his ghostly cheek. The reaction was instantaneous – a stiffening, a jerk, and his eyes snapped up to hers in shock and slight trepidation. She gave a small, comforting smile and raised her other hand, spreading her fingers across the smooth and cool flesh. She bowed her head and closed her eyes, focusing on the vibrant violet energy she'd come to recognize as her own handiwork over the years. Every spell she cast against a youkai had more than one function: it bound the body, it sealed the aura, and it purified the spirit. It was the purification part that was the problem. She could see now that her own magic burned and lashed at his. It should be easy enough to stop that, and then maybe he'd see that she wasn't as bad a priestess as he thought.

Not that what he thought was important or anything.

She pulled and twisted the spell to her will, all the while soothing the hurts her spell had caused. She heard his breathing slow into something more regular, felt the warmth in her fingers seep into his skin, and marvelled at his silence and his compliance. He was likely more shell-shocked than trusting, but it worked in her favour, so she hardly cared.

Inuyasha couldn't take his eyes off this strange girl. She looked so much like Kikyou… the resemblance was uncanny, he saw it from the very first – but this, _this_ – it was so un-Kikyou-like. His hand was frozen above the wound.

"What…?" he finally managed, feeling that horrible burning that once shot through his whole being begin to fade away.

"Sh, I'm trying to concentrate," she murmured back, and he snapped his mouth shut. Thoughts and realizations were still trapped in the moment that her fingertips met his flesh.

With a deep breath, Kagome pulled her hands away and sat up fully, brushing the hair out of her eyes. Inuyasha was staring at her like she'd grown another head or two, but that was alright. At least he wasn't trying to gouge her eyes out, and that horrible, awkward gasping was finished.

In the dim light, it was all too easy to ignore his pallor and instead focus on the planes of his face. He'd been very handsome in life. He'd probably been striking, with golden eyes and silver hair and a slender yet strong figure. Even as a blush coloured her cheeks (both because of her thoughts _and_ what she'd just done) she felt an equal and numbing sadness wash over her.

"You died young," she whispered, and this seemed to snap his stupor.

"What—what were you…?" he stuttered. Funny. He'd always seemed rough, cocky and obnoxious. Seeing him all flustered was interesting.

"I stopped the more malicious side of the spell, stupid. What do you think?" she snorted, a little miffed at his lack of gratitude. He blinked at her for a couple of moments before turning away with a scowl and snort. Experimentally, he tried to roll his shoulder. He couldn't do it, but that didn't really surprise him – what did, however, was the lack of agony with the action.

She… really _had_ helped.

But why?

"Why did you do that?" he asked, refusing eye contact. Kagome shifted beside him uneasily. He expected an answer to that question when she didn't even have one for herself.

"I don't know… I guess… I didn't like the idea that I was hurting you, that you were hurting at all. For my own peace of mind, you know?" she offered. He snorted softly again, but it seemed he accepted her answer, although he didn't necessarily like it. She knew that she should leave now, maybe go outside and see how Miroku was doing… but…

"Why do you breathe?" she asked.

"What?"

"Why do you breathe?"

He turned to look at her again, calm and distant. "What a stupid question," he said.

"But are you going to answer it?" she pressed. He sighed, shifted slightly, but no wince accompanied the movement. Moving was difficult, like things just wouldn't listen when he told them to do something.

"I don't know… habit, I guess?" he scoffed. The wagon went over a small bump, rattling the boxes inside the cart. The light was dimming, but still Kagome remained, fingering her skirt and resisting the urge to brush her fingers along the clothes that _he_ wore. She remembered the feel of them from death… would they feel the same in life? Not to mention those oh-so-tweakable ears – they were a recent addition.

"You'd be surprised," he murmured. "No matter what sort, the dead almost always go through the motions of living."

"Wait, 'what sort'? There're more than just… those _things_ I fought?" she squeaked, a little alarmed. He gave her a dry look.

"Do _I_ look like those things?"

"Well, no, but—"

"Then obviously there're different _kinds_ of dead things. Now if you don't mind, _go away_. Shockingly, I don't _enjoy_ wasting my time explaining things to morons," he snapped, glaring. Kagome did her best impression of a fish by flapping her mouth open and closed, before giving him a heated glare.

"Oh, _you!_ Why do I even bother? Why?" she asked, throwing up her hands as she climbed to her feet, stooping so she wouldn't hit the tarp.

"Because you're a fucking idiot, that's why. Now fuck off," he replied. Kagome tried to fry him with just her thoughts alone, but when that failed, she stomped off, intending to leave the wagon and check up on Miroku. Inuyasha watched her go, right up until she landed on the packed ground outside with a small grunt. He rolled his shoulder once more, still faintly surprised by the lack of pain.

"Strange girl," he muttered dispassionately. He could still feel the ghost of her touch on his face, feel her warmth, aware of the space that had been between their bodies when she leaned close to heal him.

_You died young._

She really did look like Kikyou.

_Why do you breathe?_

But she didn't act like the long-dead priestess.

_The dead almost always go through the motions of living._

He hated her anyway.

* * *

Review Responses:

_Ixchen:_ You're welcome. And here (was) another .

_Aoi EkO: _Well, so far he's tried to kill them… both. Which happens in the canon too, so I hope I'm alright on characterisation still…?

_Jezzibelle:_ Good thing this chapter was a bit of a break from all that .

_Midoriko-sama:_ I… uh… still yummy?

…

I promise I will not talk ill of this work. Then I will not get thwacked, as I understand the arrangement goes? And yes, you were right after all – Inu is in this chapter, in all his sort-of dead glory. Yaaay!

_call me k: _You know, every time I write your name, I have to fight with Word to keep the capital off 'call'. Excuse me while I throw MS Word out the window… as for your questions, well, you'll just have to wait and see. It's very mysterious, you know. :P

_Numisma:_ Thank you very muchly, for the compliments and the pointing out of the typos. Although I hope you understand when I deny the existence of any typos, in the past, present _and_ future. Ku ku ku… no one will no… I am so very sneaky.

_Kerri:_ Thanks!

_Scherezade7:_ Eh… thank you so much! I didn't mean to trick you with that mediaminer thing… I honestly just fell behind updating there. And I'm still behind, but that's not important. I'm very sorry about your poor eyes. Maybe I should just stop writing, in order to spare them, ne?

_Crimsondemon: _Uhm… ahem… yes. 'Waste' is Canadian spelling, I swear.

_Varethane: _Yes, and I stress, _loosely _based. But she does get the role of 'Abhorsen', or at least the RM equivalent. Thank you very much for your comments, though – especially about the characterisation. Because it's AU, I'm trying to be really careful about that – I don't want them to be completely different characters with new names.

_HMPrune:_ Thank you very much! And, seeing as I've heard this a couple of times, I think I'll direct this at everyone.

**Don't worry if you haven't read the Sabriel series. Some concepts from this story are inspired by the series – such as the notion of travelling into death. However, the story stands alone, it's not based on that series. **


	6. The Team Player

Disclaimer: Don't own it. I'm just temporarily thievering Takahashi's wonderful characters for my own diabolical scheme.

* * *

_She was dark haired and blood splattered. Small, pale and fragile-looking, she huddled against a tree, baskets full of odd-smelling herbs forgotten in the long grass. The demon looked like a boar of sorts, oversized and wearing crude armour, but an animal nonetheless. Saliva-slicked lips pulled back into a hideous grin that curved into two large tusks on either side of its snout. Coarse hair slithered along with its every movement, and massive claws were curved and ready to rend the child flesh from bone. _

_"I'll send you back to the earth, my dearest," he rumbled, earning a squeak from the child who tried to push herself further into the tree. _

_Then he landed, kicking up dust and tufts of yellow grass in his wake, digging his own claws into the brittle ground to counter some of the momentum he'd built. _

_"Oi, youkai. Is that scrawny human child really the best you can do?" he sneered. The boar snorted and turned, backing away with an awkward waddle to get a better look at the newcomer. He took two questioning snuffs and grinned even wider, his tongue lolling out to one side. _

_"Well, if it isn't a hanyou. Come to pay your respects?" he jeered, relaxing instantly. The boy smirked humourlessly, feeling that old bitter rage rise like bile. In a way, it was comforting. Hanyou…

* * *

_

**Raven Moon: Ch. 6, The Team Player**

_Author: Cyan I'd_

_Betas: Special thanks to Alex and Sashi!

* * *

_

"No. Absolutely not." 

The night was a little cool. The afternoon sunshine had been warm and welcoming, but as it dipped below the horizon, blues and silvers chased off the gold. Dew drops formed on the grass blades, each one glinting in the moonlight that shone from a clear, dark sky.

"Kagome-sama, you must realise…" the monk tried to argue, but it was useless. Kagome was a stubborn girl, and like all stubborn girls, she did not back down in _any_ situation.

Thankfully, the decision was made for them.

"No, houshi-sama, we might as well deal with this tonight. Why let it lie until morning?"

The speaker was a withered old woman, bent by the weight of the seasons she'd lived through and dressed in the loose, comfortable clothes of a priestess of her station.

"Of course, miko-sama," Miroku replied, bowing respectfully. Kagome followed suit, a slight blush tingeing her cheeks at the thought of what the woman had witnessed: a trained, albeit young, priestess and a monk carrying on at each other in the middle of the night. Lucky for them there was no village to rouse. This particular priestess, it seemed, was a bit aloof from the rest of the world. Her small home was tucked away in the forest near a village, within sight of it but not sound. It was modest, quiet, and brooding, but most definitely welcoming in a way Kagome couldn't quite define.

"We're very sorry to bother you this late, miko-sama…" Kagome started, but the old woman waved her off.

"Nothing to worry about. It seems you've got a very good reason to be here, at any rate," she replied. "Let's see this… 'minor problem' you have, then."

Kagome and Miroku exchanged glances before the monk grimaced and dropped his staff, hopping up into the wagon. He had a great deal of experience with many horrific things, but he still didn't relish the idea of touching something… _expired_. Not that their newfound friend was revolting, or anything of the sort.

But flesh simply shouldn't be that pale and cold.

Kagome fidgeted, her nervousness growing as the old woman scrutinised her with one good eye. The other was completely covered by a black eye patch. It was a relief when Miroku finally returned, dragging a very limp Inuyasha by securing one pale arm over his shoulder. As he hopped down carefully, Kagome noticed that the hanyou seemed to make an effort to steady himself, despite his limited ability where motion was concerned. Unconsciously, her eyes strayed to about where her arrow should be, then to his face – only to find he was already looking at her. She quickly averted her eyes, feeling the heat in her cheeks as she recalled their earlier encounter. She had been so _forward_…

Inuyasha snorted softly and flicked his gaze to the older miko, giving her a fierce glare. "What do you expect this old hag to do? Looks like all she's good for is filling a grave, if you ask me," he spat.

"That's why we _didn't_ ask you," Miroku replied calmly. The older miko looked nonplussed.

"So, you brought him to our world from death, then?" the woman asked for clarification, pointedly ignoring Inuyasha's responding, "No shit."

"By accident."

"And you don't know how to put him back?"

"I'm fairly new at this, miko-sama."

"Well… I'm afraid that I really can't help you much there. My experience with the world beyond is a little bit lacking. My advice is to keep him with you – keep him out of trouble until you are able to send him back," the miko finished.

"You can't be serious!" Kagome spluttered, more than a little put-out and disappointed. Granted, it was her problem, so she had to fix it, but part of her still clung to the fairytale notion that adults could fix _anything_ the kids messed up.

"Miko-sama," Miroku started calmly, "there must be something we can do. We are a little pressed for time, not to mention the danger of travelling in these lands of late – it's a hazard to have to drag around… well… a dead weight, if you'll pardon the expression."

"Yes, houshi-sama, I agree completely – which is why I do have a little something in mind. In fact, I think this works out rather nicely. Your 'friend' here must know a thing or two about the afterlife, I'm sure his expertise can help you out on your journeys," the miko said warmly.

"Fat chance," Inuyasha scoffed. The hag turned her wrinkled eyes on him, giving him a chillingly knowing smile. He was desensitised as far as fear was concerned, but her look still gave him the creeps.

"Got a good mouth on you, eh?" she smiled, then turned and headed for her cottage. "Wait here," she commanded, disappearing behind the flap for a moment. Kagome and Miroku exchanged glances, then turned to regard the limp hanyou still dangling off of the monk's shoulder. He puffed some of his silver bangs out of his face and gave the girl the most withering malicious glare he could manage. He didn't know how it looked – fanged teeth, translucent skin, burnt amber eyes, cold and hollow – but he understood the effect well enough. She turned away, wrapping her arms around her middle.

"Here it is," the old woman announced, returning from her hut. She approached stiffly and slowly, a testament of her age, a strange sort of necklace dangling from her outstretched hand.

"Ah, we are _very_ thankful indeed, miko-sama!" Miroku declared, catching sight of her prize.

"It's no trouble," the miko chuckled.

"A rosary?" Kagome queried, frowning in confusion. The woman finally approached, stretching out the wooden beads and teeth carefully with her weathered fingers.

"Yes, dear – a rosary. I didn't think you'd be familiar with this sort of magic… its use was dying out when _I_ was young, after all. I'm surprised your houshi-sama knows of it. But, judging by your expression, spirit, _you_ are old enough to know what this is."

She was staring directly at Inuyasha, who eyed the clicking beads with just a little trepidation. Then he scoffed, schooling his expression back into the eerie blank look Kagome had first glimpsed in the other world.

"Keh. You think you can subdue _me_, hag?"

"Just as easily as Kagome-sama's arrow subdued you, brat."

"Subdue?" Kagome echoed. She was starting to piece together exactly what was going on here.

The older miko stepped forward and slipped the beads over Inuyasha's head, stepping back and studying them with a pleased air. Kagome traced the slope of the rosary over his collarbone with her eyes.

"There. Now, go ahead and deactivate the spell on your arrow and pick a word of subjugation – I think you'll find this will come in handy on your journeys."

Kagome bit her lip and nodded, letting her eyes drift shut. She felt out for the familiar twinge of her own magic, and carefully unravelled it, careful not to scorch the hanyou in the process. Miroku carefully felt for her progress, letting Inuyasha go and stepping out of clawing distance as soon as he judged the other could stand successfully on his own.

Inuyasha tottered unsteadily for a moment, then straightened, shaky but modestly stable. He rolled his shoulder experimentally, and found that the feeling was slowly crawling back into his limbs. With a deep breath and wicked smirk, he said, "What a _stupid _move, little girl." He cracked his knuckles and curled his lips, revealing sharp and pointed fangs.

"Kagome," the older miko prompted. Kagome sighed, letting her shoulders slump. Apparently, Inuyasha was determined to be a pain. Oh well.

"_Osuwari_," she said, and Inuyasha's smirk turned into a look of dismay as the subduing spell activated and gave him an up-close-and-personal introduction to the ground.

"Soil, meet hanyou. Hanyou, soil," Miroku quipped. The hanyou twitched for a moment before planting both hands on either side of his head and lifting his upper body off the ground.

"Why… you… _bitch!_ I'll rip you to fucking shreds! You _and_ that revolting _withered_ old hag!" he spat.

"Kagome," the older miko prompted again, sporting a noticeable tick at the corner of her eye.

"Osuwari."

"Guh!"

"Ah me… this _will_ be an eventful journey from now on," Miroku sighed.

"I'd say it's already been eventful," Kagome grumbled, rubbing her temples. Inuyasha twitched from a fairly deep indentation in the ground, having learned from experience that a second 'sit' hurt twice as much, and on top of that seemed to gain even more force if the girl was pissed off. He made a mental note to kill _everything_ in the near future.

"Aa, you must be tired. You should stay the night at my home. I know it's humble, but it should do," the miko offered.

"No, it's wonderful, miko-sama – thank you very much. We're honoured," Kagome answered, smiling brightly and giving a small, respectful bow.

"You – stay here," the older woman ordered, glowering at Inuyasha, who was still sprawled on the ground. "I hardly trust _you_ around sleeping innocents."

"Good call, hag. But you've got to be pretty empty-fisted to think I'll stay here and wait for you all night," he answered. Kagome frowned in slight confusion – _empty fisted…?_ – but shrugged it off. She turned on the hanyou, shoulders squared and hands on her hips, and gave him an authoritative and threatening glare.

"Now, you listen – you'll stay here, alright, because if you run off it's _my_ responsibility to find you, and I _will_ find you – and when I do, I'll sit you until you can't walk anymore, you got that? And I _know_ it hurts – that spell affects the spirit just like my sealing spell did, I can sense it."

"Come along – I'll put wards up when we're inside, just to be sure."

The older miko and Miroku were already making their way towards the hut, but Kagome held her stern look a moment longer. Finally Inuyasha turned away with a small snort, his hair bristling at the thought of the girl's small victory. She, too, headed inside, leaving the hanyou behind in the cool grass to brood.

* * *

A small fire crackled in the center of the room, throwing flickering orange light all over the small space. A couple of small windows set high in the wall let the moonlight through in speckles – mosquito netting was spread over to keep the bugs out. The miko had kindly laid out a couple of straw mats for her guests, complete with blankets, and offered a bit of leftover stew from her meal to the pair. Kagome pressed her fingers to the floor, feeling the smooth grains of the wood worn by age and travel. 

"Thank you," she said, feeling it couldn't be said enough.

"It's no trouble, I assure you," the woman chuckled, slowly and painfully lowering herself to the floor so she could sit cross-legged across from her guests. She straightened out her skirts and pushed a strand of wispy grey hair behind her ear.

"Now, I think it's about time I introduced myself – I'm Kaede. I'm the priestess of the village you passed by on your way here."

"We shall count you among our most honoured friends, Kaede-sama," Miroku said, dipping his head.

"I wish I could help you a little more with that hanyou of yours. As I said, I don't know much about this sort of thing – I've only had experience with a couple of the dead, and that wasn't even much."

"Yes… Inuyasha mentioned that there are more than one kind," Kagome said thoughtfully. She took a sip of her stew, but her mind was too far away to enjoy a good, warm meal. She was running her thoughts over the foes they'd fought so far, trying to categorise them in some way – but the only one that seemed remarkably different was Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, hm? I didn't know you were so familiar," Kaede said, watching as Kagome ducked her head to try to hide her faint blush. "But, yes, there are _many_ kinds of dead and undead in our world. The ones that I personally have seen are fairly common: ghosts and raised."

"'Raised' are the ones that we have met with, Kagome-sama," Miroku took up, stretching his back. "They are, as the name suggests, 'raised' from the dead, either by others or by their own means. They are simply dead souls that fight their way back into the living realm and inhabit their old corpses, or other 'vacant' bodies."

"Ghosts, on the other hand, are dead spirits that dwell naturally on this realm. They did not move on for whatever reason, and despite the fact that they have no physical body, they can do a lot of damage and be very difficult to fight," Kaede finished. Kagome took this all in silently, chewing her lower lip. A slightly cool breeze tumbled through the straw door, sending a shiver up her spine. She hoped she never had to meet a ghost.

"The – the 'raised' – how can they not have bodies? When I go into death to fight them there, they have bodies."

"No, they don't – and neither do you. Kagome-sama, death is a spiritual plane, thus spirits are tangible," Kaede answered. Kagome lapsed into silence, staring blankly into the flickering flames.

There was too much she didn't know about this. She didn't know what 'death' really was, she didn't know anything about this other world – she didn't even realise she'd jumped existences when she first found herself ankle-deep in chilling, dark water. The only person who did know… was Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha – he's not a 'raised'. I mean, he's not rotting or anything, in fact, he's _healing_ – I don't need to bother taking my arrow out, because his flesh was closing around it, even when it still carried my spell. Not only that, but he somehow had a body the whole time," she mused, hugging her knees to her chest.

"That's a path we needn't bother to wander – I think only 'Inuyasha' knows just what he is," Kaede said gently. "The only thing you need to worry about is putting him back where he belongs, where he can do no harm."

"But I don't know _how_. Those other things I fought… do you know why they were so easy? Because they didn't _belong_ here. It was like there was this great force – death – that was pulling them under, but they fought and clawed their way into our world. All I have to do is break that hold, or strengthen the pull, and they snap right back where they came from," she explained.

"Like an elastic," Miroku nodded. Kagome shot him a confused look, finally breaking her gaze into the fire.

"A what?" she asked, blinking.

"Kagome-sama, your village isn't exactly the most futuristic, is it?" he sighed. Kagome gave him a dirty look, his exploitation of the villagers still fresh in her mind, but didn't argue. It _was_ true, in a sense. It was so remote the innovations of iron and steam hardly touched them.

"We have a country charm," she smiled, narrowing her eyes. "Anyway, there is something I noticed that happens when I go to the other world – I _belong_. It's like my soul was attached to the living realm, but when I jump planes, I anchor it to the dead realm."

"Makes sense – if your hold on that world was weak, the dead would have a considerable advantage," Kaede said.

"Yes – so it's like when I came back, when I re-anchored myself to _this_ world, he sorta… came with me. Now _he_ belongs here too, and I don't know how to change that – I don't even understand how I move _my_ soul between realms," Kagome finished, sighing softly.

"It's strange that your hanyou friend would have a body when he shifted to this world – yours stays behind, after all, Kagome-sama – so if he had a soul _and _physical presence in the spiritual world, one would expect him to leave it behind, too," Miroku pondered serenely. Kagome frowned slightly, but he didn't notice.

"My body stays behind?"

"Yes."

"Every time?"

"Of course."

"How many times did you see this?"

"When I found you at our first meeting, and when you defeated that corpse we were trying to locate."

"Do I just pass out?"

"Yes."

"Go limp?"

"Yes."

"Am I very pale?"

"A little."

"Cold?"

"Yes."

"My panties?"

"Blue – uh, I mean… just a guess, as you strike me as a blue person, and…"

Kagome stood, glowering at the monk. Miroku gave up his fumbled attempt at a save, realising defeat, and took it upon his holy self to accept it with grace and dignity. Kagome drew her hand back and slapped him as hard as she could, leaving a nice, big, red welt on his cheek.

"_Out!_" she ordered, and he quickly obeyed, beating a hasty retreat.

Kaede chuckled as Kagome took a deep breath to calm herself, then plopped down, self-consciously adjusting her skirt. She fixed her mussed hair and sat up a little straighter, trying to draw on whatever reserves of patience were left to deal with her travel-mate.

"I wonder," she said, "how old he is. Inuyasha, I mean."

"Fairly old, as far as I can tell. That expression, 'empty-fisted' – I can surely guess the meaning, but it's beyond my time. Beyond my father's time, even."

"Yeah… he called me a 'twat'. I don't even know what that is."

"If you talked to someone who knows their history a little better than idea, you might be able to roughly date him."

Kagome sighed, staring out the netted window at the silver moon. _Inuyasha_… what a strange boy, and an even stranger mystery. Just what _was_ he? Why was he caught between worlds? Couldn't he move on?

_"Kikyou… you're just like her."_

She wondered what he did to deserve nothing but lonely grey and cold cruelty until she blundered along.

* * *

Miroku stepped lightly out of their place for the night, stretching his back, not all that bothered by Kagome's outburst or the stinging slap she'd dealt him. Years of experience had allowed him to build up a tolerance for the feminine fists-of-fury, and meditation under waterfalls and serene forests allowed him to push the resulting pain to the back of his mind. 

And achieve enlightenment, etcetera, etcetera.

He wasn't at all surprised to spot the hanyou, leaning casually against a nearby tree with his eyes turned to the skies. Miroku glanced up as well, studying the spangled night casually before making his way to the dead boy's side. His steps rustled loudly, but Inuyasha never bothered to acknowledge him, even after he plopped down a couple feet away and slouched in the wet grass. He rolled his shoulders and smiled to himself, acutely aware of the feel of the grass against his un-gloved hand. It was crisp, fresh, and _alive_. He cast a sidelong glance as his quiet companion.

Life and death. Here under the branches of the sentinel trees, he found he could listen to the distant murmuring of water and calls of some night creature and pursue some form of peace, perhaps. Life. But death inevitably followed.

"Kagome-sama," he started, "might be considered lucky by some. People fear death, because it is unknown – but she now knows what comes next for us all." His smile turned into something small and bitter, but with only the silvery sheen of the moon for light, no one knew but the monk himself. The hanyou was quiet, but he slowly tilted his head to look at the man who hadn't taken the _obvious_ hint and left. He dragged the pads of his fingers over the rough bark of the tree and inhaled deeply – grass birds water soil wood human cotton demon deer – and _revelled_ in it.

"I don't think so," Miroku continued softly. "I don't think I want to know."

"You wouldn't like it," Inuyasha finally spoke gruffly. Miroku reluctantly looked away from the distant light of the stars and regarded his companion, white in the shadows.

"But I don't have a choice. I'm mortal," he answered, and quirked a smile. "But you – you're something much different," he continued, and his voice had a cold and sharp edge.

"Am I?" Inuyasha drawled.

"I suggest you tell us exactly what you are, hanyou."

"Just what do you _think_? I'm dead, isn't that enough?"

"You're unlike anything I've ever seen or heard of before. I can't say I'm comfortable with that."

Inuyasha was silent for a moment, unaffected by the monk's intense gaze.

"Why don't you tell me what you're hiding under that glove and rosary of yours, bouzu?" he asked softly and neutrally. Miroku's grip on the staff tightened, but other than that, neither made a move. The shift in ambience would have gone unnoticed to a regular man or woman, but being what they were – hanyou and monk – they felt the air thicken and tighten as surely as if it were a tangible thing.

"Point taken," Miroku said, deceptively calm.

The silence stretched between. Inuyasha pinched the rosary between two fingers and scowled at it, wondering if there was any possible way he could get the damned thing off. Then there would be no connection between him and that stupid girl, and that would be a good thing. Yes, it would. Absolutely. Undoubtedly.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" he spoke up irritably.

"Perhaps," was Miroku's amicable response. Inuyasha snorted, casting him a sidelong glance. It seemed the tension that had gripped the monk just moments before was fading already.

"I could hear everything in that hovel, you know. You're nothing more than a lecherous idiot that can't keep your hands to yourself."

"Ah, but what you don't quite grasp, my dear antisocial companion, is that it is all _worth_ it," Miroku declared, pressing a fist to his heart. Inuyasha was giving him one of those 'uh-huh' looks, with the raised eyebrow and everything.

"That image… I will take it with me to the grave. It will be comforting," he finished, referring to, naturally, his glimpse of Kagome's panties.

"I'm surprised you still have all your limbs, lech," Inuyasha snorted. "I honestly don't know how you mortal fools managed to dodge extinction for so long."

"Well, I'm certainly doing a better job than you are, demon," Miroku answered lightly, regaining his feet. Inuyasha's expression was blank, then he narrowed his eyes and curled his lips into a snarl.

"You got a fucking death wish? I could rip you to shreds before you even _blinked_," he snarled, raising his claws and cracking his knuckles. Rather than the desired fear or panic, the monk seemed sort of… amused. Which served to further fuel Inuyasha's temper, of course.

"Then why didn't you?" Miroku challenged, and Inuyasha blinked, taken aback.

"What…?"

"Why didn't you? I have no delusions about the speed of a human compared to the speed of a hanyou, even a dead one. If you'd wanted, these gashes you gave me would be much worse. No, I don't think you'll 'rip me to shreds', as you put it – if that's what you'd intended, you would have done so already."

The hanyou watched the monk leave, too surprised to try for the last word in their little disagreement. He stared at the small home long after Miroku had gone inside to brave whatever was left of Kagome's temper.

"Why didn't I…?" he repeated. Somehow, that question disturbed him. Maybe it's because he couldn't find an answer.

"Fuck this," he spat, turning and leaping into the nearby trees. He pushed off the ground, soared through the air, caught himself on a bough and leapt again. The wind running through his hair was soothing. The whistling in his ears drowned out all those cluttered thoughts. He landed on the ground again with a small grunt, felt the soil press between his toes and the grass skim his hands as he balanced himself, and then was off again, muscles bunching and stretching as he worked to escape gravity.

Who cared about a silly priestess girl and her haughty threats? She could hunt him if she wanted.

She'd never, ever find him.

* * *

_She was dreaming again._

_The night was a deep, dark creature, and it strove to devour her whole if she stood still for too long. The stars had been snuffed, the candles blown out, and the houses that she passed were shuttered and silent. Her feet kicked up little stones and sand as she walked, the only sound apart from a strange murmuring of water that came from everywhere and nowhere at once. _

_She wondered if she was lost. Then, she realised she was; there was no sense in worrying about it now._

_"Kaede, Kaede," a voice said softly, rising and falling, breathless and imagined. She was confused. Kaede? The old miko that had bound Inuyasha with the rosary? _

_Her mirror image blocked the way, bangs obscuring her eyes and shadows falling across her face in unnatural ways. She was ghostly white and utterly still._

_"Kaede's dead," she said, but her lips didn't move. Somehow, Kagome still knew it was this reflection that had spoken. _

_"No she's not, I just spoke with her," she replied, but she didn't dare move forward. There was something not right about all this…_

_"Kaede's dead, and it's all my fault."_

_"She's not."_

_"She's dead, she's dead, she's dead,"_

_"She's not. She's not!"_

_But the shadow wouldn't listen – it sang its song over and over, rising in volume and despair until it was a shrieking, unintelligible thing – but not a human thing. It sounded like a child, a woman and the wind, all rolled into one pitching roiling wail – and it made Kagome feel sick and cold. _

_"She's dead, she's dead!"_

_"She's not!"_

_"She's dead!"_

_"He didn't! He couldn't!" Kagome cried. Her eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth. What was she saying? Who didn't? Who couldn't?_

_A voice, a man's voice whispered softly in her ear, "I love you," and the source of the murmuring water became clear: she was standing in it. It was all around. It was cold and clinging and endless, just like it had been in death. _

_The mirror-image took a few small steps towards her, and Kagome backed away. It wanted her to see its face. She knew she couldn't let that happen._

For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Kagome nearly woke up screaming. As it was, she just gave a choked sob and clutched a hand to her breast, waiting for her pulse to slow to normal.

_'What…?'_

She got the feeling that she was in the middle of something much, _much_ larger than she'd originally imagined. She also had the sneaking suspicion that whatever it was, it would mean the end of her.

* * *

An hour into his aimless sprint, Inuyasha had abandoned his leaps through the trees in favour of a brisk walk. He told himself it was because there was no _sense_ in running, since all that could possibly chase him was a little priestess girl. He was certainly _not_ afraid of her, and he would never ever run from her. 

Really it was because he still wasn't used to the fact that when he walked, something other than icy water brushed his feet. Being connected to the earth, the cool soil and the crisp plants, it was _nice_.

The night was a little chilly, but he didn't mind – he couldn't feel it anyway. The woods were quiet, not even a breath of wind stirring the leaves, and no night creatures pawing through the underbrush. In fact, there were no youkai around either; the freshest scents were already a week old. He'd noticed this during the trip here, picking up the stale remnants of scent despite the woodsy reek of the wagon, but it hardly surprised him. While in death, he'd felt the restlessness of the moaning souls and seen the passage of many dead spirits, some he'd easily tangle with and many he'd rather avoid. Something was going on, and it wasn't any surprise that the living youkai had caught wind of it and run for cover. Only the humans seemed oblivious, fools that they were.

A sudden rustling from just ahead made him pause, ears flicking and shoulders tense. A few questioning sniffs sought the source from the shadows. Rotting meat. Carrion.

"Feh," he snorted, relaxing. He knew this reek.

"Come out, before I rip you into so many pieces you'll never pull yourself back together."

There was a quiet rustle, then a low, chortling laugh distorting by the gurgling of blood and an unnaturally-formed throat. Finally, the shape of a large feline crept out of the underbrush, awkward and ungainly. It was feline in shape only, however – the body was formed of gleaming mounds of viscera and stringy muscle. It was a shape-shifter, of sorts, but one that only moulded its form from the available medium – in this case, various shapes and sizes of lumps of meat. Inuyasha repressed a shudder. He'd seen many things in his long days, but none disgusted him quite like a Maga did.

"What do you want?" he snapped, not bothering to hide the repulsion that twisted his expression. It chortled again, then sat back on its haunches. The flesh rippled, then re-arranged, shifting pieces all around the body with a sick wet slurping sound before finally taking a rough humanoid shape, bent double at the back with one arm nearly twice as long as the other. It only had a mouth, which was crooked and stretched wider than it should have.

"How rude, hanyou," it gurgled.

"Get on with it. What do you want?" he demanded again.

"You know my master," it said, and he did.

"Onigumo. What of it?"

"He asks a favour of you, hanyou. It has come to his attention that you are now in the realm of the warm-bloods, and in the company of that shifting priestess, no less."

"So?" he didn't like where this was going.

"He believes that she carries something… _vital_ to attaining his goals. He asks that you accompany her, find the location of this thing, and then kill her."

Inuyasha snorted, turning his back on the quivering mass of the undead creature. He started walking away from it, heading back towards the miko's hut where Kagome stayed, but that wasn't as important to him as snubbing the demands of a messenger bearing words from a world away.

"She carries Kikyou's soul, you know. She is Kikyou, reincarnated," it drawled, somehow sounding amused. Inuyasha stopped short, eyes narrowing and fists clenching. He took a shaky breath, trying to calm the sudden rage and pain that welled up with the mere mention of her name – _betrayal!_

"Why the fuck should I care? That's in the past," he spat.

"Is it? Are you sure?"

He didn't answer.

"Besides," it purred, drawing up beside him, "_you_ belong to him just as much as _I_ do. He commands, we obey. Or, do you never want to be free of him?"

He fought the urge to leap away from the Maga. It curved its fleshy lips into a smile, amused by the gooseflesh that rose on his arms.

"How am I supposed to recognise this thing that Onigumo needs?" he demanded harshly. The Maga, taking this as the consent that it was, backed off with a low laugh.

"You'll know it when you see it. My master thanks you, _hanyou_."

It slunk back into the shadows, leaving Inuyasha alone with his thoughts. He held very still, gaze fixed to the ground and claws digging into the patterned flesh of his palms. Blood painted them ruddy, but did not drip to the ground – he had no beating heart to pump it with.

Lips pressed into a thin line, he strengthened his resolve and began the long, lonely trek back to the little hovel where they were resting peacefully. He thought about that searing pain that had gripped him when her purifying powers ripped through him. He thought about the twang of the bow as Kikyou fired her last arrow, and the feeling of sinking into something cold and black. Most of all, he thought about how much Kagome had looked like her long-dead predecessor, her face twisted into anger and determination as she drove the pointed arrowhead into him.

"Just kill her? Easy."

* * *

Reviews:

_Kerri, Chelsea LadyPearlDragon:_ Thank you for the encouragement!

_Scherezade7:_ Well, I hope you're not expected me to foot that eye doctor bill of yours… I'm doing this for free, you know.

**So Inuyasha was dead, but is now alive? Or half-dead half-alive…?**

-Nyaaah… well, it's not really explained much more in this chapter, is it? The question of _what_ he is will just have to wait – I don't want to give anything away. You understand, of course.

_Midoriko-sama:_ Only I know how it turns out, ku ku ku… and I _love_ Nightmare Before Christmas. I never really was very good at fluff… but, then again, I'm not so sure _true_ fluff has a place in this particular story.

_Numisma:_ Well, the plot's next destination is Jamaica, so if you're up for a nice relaxing holiday, it might let you tag along. Provided you ask nicely.

_kitsunehi: _Bwa ha! Neglecting my real life in favour of lj has finally paid off! Buuuut… thanks for your comments. I hope this chapter was alright, too.

_ixchen: _Taadaa - more.

_call me k: _I dislike MS in general… grumble, grumble.

Yup, Inuyasha's finally back in the land of the living. Got a ways to go with him yet, though. I'm glad that his character is alright still – I'm hoping to be able to show a little more of that immature/childish side of him in upcoming chapters, rather than all this "grr… I'm evil… and angsting… but also evil" stuff.

**Are there going to be necromancer bells in this?**

-Not for most of it, for sure. Kagome doesn't have a clue what she's doing, and she's a little bit used to her priestess ways – thus, weapon of choice bow and arrow. I'm still debating on whether or not she gets to use them a little, or any other characters, for that matter…

_Varethane:_ Go silver hair! Yes! .

As for Kagome's character: yes, she is a little tougher here. The difference is that she's not a softie from the 21st century anymore – she's a trained priestess in rough, youkai-infested times. I tried to keep the characters' histories parallel to their pasts from the original series so I could keep them as canon as possible, but here or there I couldn't quite manage.

As for arguing with Inuyasha, he was only a threat to her for a small time in the series. When he's staked to a tree and bound by the rosary spell she's very forward, but for that brief time when he's free and rampaging and all, she's running for her life .

Now that he's all set up with a subduing spell, you can expect a little more of the typical interaction between the pair. I hope these personality discrepancies didn't turn you off too much…

**Kagome remarked that Inuyasha died young. Is this true, due to slow youkai aging or just a red herring? **

-To be honest, I'm not clever enough to plant red herrings… but I guess it wouldn't hurt to answer this question. I'm trying to draw in a lot of the elements of the original manga, so he died at about the same age as in the series – fifteen to eighteen or so.

_Aoi EkO:_ Thank you – I'm really excited about the nomination. And one of your favourite fics in the fandom…? Well, I have two things to say to that: tee hee, alliteration . and OMFG the PRESSURE. Heh.

It's nice to hear my writing's working for you – and I did my best to blend the two. I still want this to be an Inuyasha fanfic, after all. (Sh, no one knows about Kikyou, I swear…)

_crimsondemon: _Thank you!

_Maffeoel: _I don't know if I'd post all those shorts – probably just longer things. I did include a little extra part here just because I didn't want to leave it until the next chapter, but I hope that it didn't detract at all from the chapter. And, yes, Inu's back – sorta. Thanks for the input!

_malchik MM:_ I'm glad this fic is working so well for you .

I hope this chapter's alright, too.

* * *

CI: All these reviews make me a very happy lady. Thank you! 

_If you've got the time, I'd love a review! _


	7. Best Served Cold

Eo: Erm… hi all! I'm sorry for the rather looooooong break between updates. I just wasn't feeling the love for this story for awhile (not to mention I get sidetracked by everything and anything), but here's the next chapter, and longer than usual!

Okay, a **Note**, if you please: my author name has been changed from _Cyan I'd_ to _Eostra_. I decided that I wanted to cut down the number of net aliases I have, since there's too many to manage, and Cyan just didn't make the cut (too purple for my tastes nowadays).

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Inuyasha. If I could own anything, it would be Microsoft because it has made Gates very rich and I would also like to be very rich. That is all.

* * *

**Raven Moon: Ch. 7, Best Served Cold**

_Author: Eostra_

_Beta: Special Thanks to Numisma!

* * *

_

Plagued by disturbing dreams, Kagome had hardly slept the night before. She kept thinking about that one nightmare, where she'd clearly felt the waters of death and spoken with a girl that bore her image.

"_He didn't! He couldn't!"_

"_Kaede's dead."_

"_I love you."_

What did it mean? She frowned to herself, chewing her lip in frustration. She'd heard talk before of dreams being much more important than the fragments of thought and memory she'd always passed them off as. The fortune tellers that occasionally sought out her village for revenue would settle in the streets, their cloaks billowing around them as they pulled out various trinkets and herbs that had different purposes and meanings – and they always talked about dreams.

'_Your dreams mean much, miko-sama. Your dreams are your intuition, your past lives and the spirits that guard you given voice, but little reason. Heed them with care.'_

Now she wished she hadn't blown them all off as enterprising fakes. She might be able to get a little further with her thoughts on _these _dreams otherwise.

With a sigh, she rolled over, searching her companions' sleeping faces for any trace of waking. The world outside was just barely lightening – it wasn't even sun-up yet – but there was no point in lying here and running circles with her thoughts and musings. As quietly as she could, she crept from the hovel and made it outside, scrunching her toes in the cool grass and stretching. She sucked in a deep breath and sighed pleasurably – because she was not usually a morning person, she'd nearly forgotten how beautiful mornings could be. Like the world was holding its breath before it dove into another busy day.

A bath, she decided. She would take a bath. There had to be some sort of spring or other water source in the woods nearby, or else a village would not have sprung up in this area – and as long as she took her bow and arrow, she would be fine. She skipped over to the wagon and snatched up her weapons, placed near the end of one edge so that she could reach them easily if she needed them.

She wandered into the woods, letting the soft chirps of birds calm and soothe her as she picked her way around roots and fallen logs. Her ears strained for the tell-tale gurgle of water, but so far she heard nothing.

What she found was not water, as she had hoped – it was Inuyasha. Stumbling around a particularly thorny bush, she glanced up to see something propped against a tree just in front of her. Belatedly, she realised it was Inuyasha, his back to the trunk and his head folded in his arms, which rested on knees drawn up to his chest. He looked much younger like that.

"Inuyasha?" she called tentatively. His head jerked up, startled – had he really been so lost in his own world that he hadn't heard her approach?

"Oh. It's you," he said evenly, his expression closing in on itself – but not before she caught a glimpse of something so _human_ it made her uneasy with her position in all this mess. She shifted uncomfortably, caught off-guard and unable to mask her surprise.

"You're… still here?" she blurted, for lack of anything better to say, although she regretted it right after. He rolled his eyes and stood.

"I don't know, that's a tough call," he drawled sarcastically, indicating his physical presence with a broad sweep of his arms. Kagome filed away a mental note about how it was never pleasant to make oneself an easy target and hesitantly picked her way forward. Figures the stupid boy would choose the roughest, rockiest and most overgrown area to plant his sorry ass in. Figures she'd want his company just enough to find her way through all that mess to get to him. She was playing a dangerous game and she knew it; getting too attached would make it next to impossible to do the right thing when the time came. _But, is it really the right thing?_

She pushed the troubling thoughts aside.

"I just… I thought you'd leave," she explained.

"I like my spine in one piece, thanks," he snapped coldly. Kagome was a little taken aback – he seemed harsher today, more distant, but maybe that was just her imagination. It wasn't like he'd ever been particularly friendly, after all.

"Well," she began, gathering her resolve, "thanks. I'm glad. I'm glad that you stayed."

With that declaration, she marched off to the right, leaving a very surprised hanyou in her wake.

_I'm glad you stayed…_ as if she wanted him there, enjoyed his presence, would miss him if he were gone. The idea brought with it a pang of nostalgia, and a painful twisting in his chest. He wasn't at all comfortable with these things. His surprise quickly turned to a cynical suspicion – just what game was she playing at now? Maybe acting nice, trying to get his guard down so she could stick a knife between his ribs later. Well, he wasn't so stupid to fall for that. Not twice.

"Wait – where do you think you're going?" he demanded, inexplicably pissed that she would turn her back to him.

"I'm going to find water. I'm going to take a bath," she explained, perhaps a little tartly – she'd heard that demanding anger in his tone, and she didn't like it one bit. Kagome was not a girl who was used to being ordered around, especially by men – and she wasn't the least bit interested in starting now.

"Keh. Stupid chit, the water's _that_ way," he sneered, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. Apparently she'd managed to pick the complete opposite direction. "You're lucky you're not travelling this road alone – you've got the survival instincts of a rock."

Kagome bristled. "Well rocks do pretty well for themselves, don't they?" she snapped, kicking lightly at a nearby stone. Okay, so it was a pretty weak retort, but she managed to polish it a little more with a toss of her hair and a steady march with her head held high. He watched her walk past, wondering how often she'd been dropped on her head as a child.

* * *

The day had been nice enough when they took their leave from Kaede –

"_Bye-bye, miko-sama! Thanks for everything!"_

"_Your skills were most appreciated, miko-sama."_

"_Good riddance, you withered old hag."_

-- but the clear blue sky had quickly given way to angry, rolling clouds that choked out the sunshine and left the countryside nearly as dark as night. The small group hustled their wagon onward, hoping to reach some sort of shelter before the storm hit, but it soon overtook them and forced them to the side of the road.

Kagome leaned against the inside of the covered wagon, tilting her head upward to peer at the sky. Every so often, a flash of light would illuminate the swell of the thunderhead, or an arc of lightening would split the sky in one dazzling moment before the answering rumble of thunder followed. It wasn't directly over them, but it would be soon, and already the gusting winds and pelting rain promised quite the show.

Miroku was further inside, his head bowed and the staff nestled into his shoulder. Across from him, Tanuki was sniffing miserably, his ears still dripping with rainwater. When the rotten weather had first blown over them, the monk had escorted the priestess to shelter while assigning the task of securing the wagon to the rotund little demon. By the time he'd finished tying down the last lash, he was already soaked from head to toe. Kagome felt a little sorry for him, and offered some of her food rations, which quickly went to satisfying his hunger.

And Inuyasha… was outside. Kagome frowned to herself. She'd done her best all morning to keep her thoughts far away from the undead boy, but they always wandered back all the same. He evidently didn't have quite the same problem – while she'd found her eyes straying to his broad shoulders and red-clad back, _he_ hadn't given her so much as a glance since the pseudo-conversation they'd had in the woods that morning. She found herself trying to sort out the best way to deal with him – it was obvious that he lacked any and all social skills, so normal social conventions simply wouldn't work on him. All of her attempts at being nice or simply acknowledging his existence were met with hostility and insults.

A smarter girl wouldn't have bothered, she thought, but then again, she always prided herself on her compassion. One emotionally-stunted half-demon wasn't about to defeat her now.

Said boy was currently off closer to the trees, his head tilted down while water dripped from his hair and clothes. She thought it was strange that he was watching the earth instead of the sky… it seemed so… hopeless.

With a weary sigh, Kagome shifted and hopped down from the wagon, ignoring Miroku's questioning glance. She wasn't going to find any peace until she settled her thoughts about Inuyasha, and simply staring at him wasn't doing the trick – maybe if she talked to him, calmed this newfound (and unwelcome) hatred he faced her with, she'd be able to relax a little more. It really wasn't her imagination – he'd never really liked her before, but he never used to sneer at her and flex his claws, as if imagining what it would feel like to run them through her flesh and feel her blood bubble over either. She shivered, but not because of the rain that now stuck her shirt to her back.

His ears were flicking irritably. With a small frown, he listened to the girl approach, wondering what she wanted _now_. The stupid woman was damned persistent, he'd give her that. He toyed briefly with the idea of just flat-out telling her that he was going to kill her (_that_ ought to drive a wedge between them) but he figured it might hurt his chances of pulling this whole mess off, which would be… regrettable.

"What do you think you're doing?" he snapped as soon as she was close enough to hear him over the pounding rain.

"Coming to see you," she answered. It should have been a friendly reply, but he could plainly hear the challenge in her voice.

"Don't you have anything better to do with your time?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"Not really, no. We can't go very far, or haven't you noticed?" she surprised him by answering – he hadn't been expecting a response at all. He half-turned to look at her over his shoulder. Her arms were crossed tight over her breasts, her hair was scraggly and clung to her cheeks and skull, and her skirt was all but translucent (a minor oversight on her part).

"Idiot," he answered. When her expression darkened for a moment, he thought she might use that infernal 'sit' command on him, and flinched involuntarily – but the moment passed, and she smiled sunnily, although he figured that probably had more to do with defying him than actually being that cheerful.

"Maybe," she answered with a small half shrug. He had to kill the smile that tugged at his lips before she caught sight of it.

She stared down at her hands for a moment, then shifted her feet, wincing when her shoes squelched in the mud. She fervently wished for that warm bath with the scented oils and rising steam she used to have back home, but ruthlessly crushed the notion – she couldn't have those things anymore.

Her brow furrowed as something tugged gently at her senses. At first, she worried it was another dead creature, but then…

"Damn," she muttered, missing the bemused look Inuyasha shot her.

"You just realised it now?" he taunted, flicking some water from his claws. She diplomatically chose to ignore him, instead trying to pinpoint the creature that was giving her that tingling feeling. It seemed a little ways off, somewhere in the woods that they'd had to stop by.

"Do you think it noticed us?" she asked hopefully, willing to risk even a sarcastic put-down from the hanyou in the hopes that he would tell her, '_no, I don't think it did'._ Surprisingly, he _didn't_ cut her down for the silly question – but his answer wasn't all that uplifting, either.

"Yeah. Demons usually notice humans from this range."

She bit her lip and looked back through the sheets of rain at the wagon. "We'll just have to outrun it, then," she decided.

"Fat chance. We wouldn't get far," Inuyasha replied, looking up at the sky. Kagome risked a glance too, and with a sinking feeling realised that the storm was nearly on top of them – if the whipping winds and driving rain didn't stop them, it would certainly slow them down too much.

"What kind is it?" Kagome floundered, grasping for anything to take her mind off the fact that she would have to fight _again_.

"Well, gee, I don't know, why don't I just stroll on over and take a look?"

Once again, Kagome diplomatically ignored the heavy sarcasm. She was an affirmative action girl, and right now, a very good example of affirmative action would be to head back to the wagon, warn Miroku, prepare to face something all sorts of nasty (but at least not in the latter stages of decomposition) and hope the storm didn't pass over and muddle things too much. She rubbed her hands together to work some of the chill out of them before grabbing Inuyasha's sleeve and tugging.

"Come on."

"Whuh-you can't just order me around, stupid girl!" he barked, jerking his arm back.

"Quit being such an idiot and let's _go_."

"I'm not your lap dog!"

"…fine then. Stay here. You can welcome our new friend." She turned on her heel and marched back towards the wagon. The wind had picked up considerably since she first came to talk to Inuyasha, and it was driving the rain like cold knives into her exposed arms and face. She hunched up her shoulders a little, feeling the chill temperature in her very bones, but it didn't come close to comparing to the ice of death. A few heartbeats later, she felt rather than heard or saw the hanyou's presence at her side, and suppressed a knowing grin.

"I thought you weren't going to follow me…?"

"Lesser of two evils. I am definitely not doing your fighting for you, priestess," he snapped, stubbornly staring straight ahead. He wouldn't do her fighting for her, but he wouldn't let her die either – even if it was for all the wrong reasons.

By the time they made it to the wagon, Miroku had already been alerted to the demon's presence. Kagome couldn't hide her flush of shame – she had presumed that the monk was just as weak in holy power as he was in morality, but she'd misjudged him again. He stood tense but ready by his wares, and Kagome joined him, their eyes on the tree line that hid their soon-to-be opponent. As the storm grew in fury they had to change plans and take shelter beneath the tarp of the wagon. A decidedly less strong impression and defence, but it couldn't be helped. Inuyasha kept his casual lean against the side of the vehicle, evidently unperturbed by rain so heavy you couldn't even see a metre before your nose.

As the presence finally reached the edge of the trees and moved to the road, Kagome realised there were actually _two_ demons, so similar in energy and close in proximity she had mistaken them for one. They came straight up to the small party without even a trace of hesitation, two wavering silhouettes behind a sheet of water.

"Well, well… what's this?" drawled a masculine baritone. Kagome jumped, clutching her bow a little tighter, and Inuyasha snickered at her.

With a grand gesture, the shapeless blob that had spoken suddenly broke up the storm, calming the winds and lightening the rain until it was no more than a fine drizzle. Kagome blinked in surprise, her ears ringing from the sudden lack of noise. She stared up at the two youkai (who apparently had some control over this weather) and studied them carefully. A tall, slender man with a long black braid and some sort of bladed staff in his hand, and a short pudgy one with a beak-like jaw and who was practically bald.

"Oh, brother Hiten! A maiden! Please, let me take care of these vermin for you, and as reward, allow me to grind that maiden into my hair potion!" the fat one called. Kagome's eyebrow ticked. A _hair potion_… what, she wasn't pretty enough to eat?

The other one, 'Hiten', let loose a long and rolling laugh that sounded just a little bit scornful to her. He clapped his brother on the back jovially, and then turned his fanged smirk on the bedraggled little group before them. Kagome subconsciously clutched at her clothes, now hyper-aware that they clung to her every curve and were slightly see-through.

"We'll see, Manten. So, what have we here? A monk, a hanyou, and a priestess," Hiten summarised. Manten was quizzically staring at Inuyasha, and Kagome wondered if they could actually tell that he was less than living. Somehow, she doubted it – could they use that to their advantage at some point? Possibly, if the stubborn boy ever co-operated.

"But you're not just any priestess, are you?" Hiten continued, leering at the girl. "You're that girl that can touch the dead, aren't you?"

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise, but Miroku seemed unaffected. Hadn't he told her that news would travel fast?

"No, Manten, I think she might be able to help us. What do you say, girl? In exchange for your life, you'll do us a favour."

Well… this was new. Demons had never tried to _bargain_ with her before. Eat, maim, kill, kidnap, rape, infest, charm, and frighten, yes, but bargaining? Hell no.

"Um… what is it… what do you want?" she stammered, figuring, _hell_, if they could avoid a nice messy fight, why not? The prettier of the two smirked at her, crooking his finger as a signal to come out from under their canopy. Miroku narrowed his eyes but crawled out easily and with enviable grace. Kagome stumbled and likely would have landed flat on her face if not for Inuyasha's inhuman reflexes – he caught her arm and steadied her. A surprised expression flitted across his features before he managed to hide it with a roll of the eyes. She wasn't sure why he'd caught her. It seemed he wasn't, either.

"We have a slight nuisance, and your skills would be more than adequate to take care of it," he explained, hovering a little closer. Kagome took note of the wheels that spun madly at his heels, apparently what allowed him to fly.

"What is it you want us to do?" Miroku piped up patiently.

"A little while ago," Hiten began, "we came across an insolent family of foxes. They were short work for the _Thunder Brothers_ – hardly worth the effort. They had a little brat with them, but apparently he really can't take a hint."

"Yeah, the brat has been hounding us ever since we dumped the bodies," Manten added. Kagome suppressed a shiver… _a kit? _A child.

"Idiot childish tricks," Hiten told them, his expression slightly miffed. "They are getting on my nerves."

"Yeah – he's such a nuisance! And he just won't go away – it's been weeks!"

"We want _you_ to exorcise him for us, little girl," Hiten said, jabbing his weapon in her general direction. Kagome scowled, a firm and angry 'no' on the tip of her tongue – these _murderers_ were _annoyed_ by the restless spirit of a child they _slaughtered_? In her mind, they deserved every scrap of torment that poor spirit could manage to inflict on them.

Before she could say anything, Miroku cut in, his expression unreadable.

"You want us to exorcise the restless spirit of one of your victims? In exchange for avoiding a battle?" he summarised.

"Absolutely. See how generous we are?" Manten grinned, puffing his chest out with pride.

"It hardly seems fair. It will take such time and effort to track this wayward spirit, not to mention considerable effort on both mine and Kagome's parts to coax his soul to the afterlife – we are being taken advantage of, I fear."

Kagome shot him an incredulous look. Did the silly monk _want_ to be slaughtered over something as petty as what he considered to be a 'fair trade'? As if he knew anything about the subject. She much preferred to be slaughtered while valiantly defending her morals, thank you very much. Or maybe not slaughtered at all. One look at his tight expression, however, convinced her that this man was simply itching for a fight – over what? She wasn't sure. It made her distinctly uncomfortable.

"Are you implying that our generous offer to spare your worthless lives is not _worth_ the minor task of doing away with a silly ghost?" Manten spluttered.

"Why, yes, I believe I am," Miroku answered smoothly. Kagome jabbed at him with her elbow, but he neatly ducked aside.

"Why, you—we—my brother has more power in his pinky _finger_ than—" Manten shrieked, but a firm hand on his shoulder choked the tirade before it really got rolling. He glanced nervously over at his beloved sibling, a little nervous. Hiten's moods weren't exactly what one would call 'stable'. He'd once seen the demon waltz into their home with a gorgeous female on his arm, laughing and chatting – and then put a fist through her face two minutes later.

Lucky for the humans (in Manten's opinion), his brother was in a jovial mood. He smirked at the impertinent monk, and then outright laughed, eyes twinkling with some sort of hidden joke.

"Don't worry, brother. This man is a fool, but he's bold – I like that. Are you willing to… 'settle' for our offer, monk?" Hiten calmed his brother, but there was a warning gleam in his eyes despite his light words. Miroku flashed a grim smile, his gloved hand clenching imperceptively.

"Perhaps…" he drawled.

"Now hold on!" Kagome cut in, but her two cents didn't make it very far. Inuyasha chose that moment to offer his own illustrious opinion on the matter.

"Keh, you stupid girl. Can't you see a lucky break when it's staring you straight in the face? Just exorcise the damn brat, and your skin won't end up as some rug on a youkai's floor."

"Very well," Miroku agreed, considering the undead hanyou very carefully. "We'll do it. Come along, Kagome-sama – Hachi, please stay with our supplies." He grabbed her gently by the arm, leading her under the watchful stares of the two youkai towards the woods they had emerged from. Inuyasha followed at a small distance, lost in his own thoughts.

"We'll keep an eye on you. If you don't keep to your end of the bargain, we'll hunt you down," Hiten warned.

"Hey… wait," Kagome whispered once she was sure they were out of earshot. "Weren't you listening? Those two are cold-blooded _murderers_. They slaughtered a child, and you want to _help_ them?"

"Don't think of it as helping the demons, Kagome-sama. Think of it as laying a child's soul to rest," Miroku consoled. Kagome scowled to herself, but accepted that tidbit of reason. After all, if she abandoned the pair to the haunting they had brought on themselves, that poor child would wander restlessly.

"And _you_," she started, whirling on Inuyasha. "What was that? Since when are you all gung-ho to charge into a fight?" she demanded.

"I'm not '_ghungo'_ anything. It was just obvious that you were going to fuck up your only chance to keep your life," he snapped.

"They weren't _that_ powerful, and you knew it," Miroku cut in calmly. Inuyasha's jaw snapped shut with an audible _click_, and the rest of the trek deeper into the woods was made in silence.

* * *

It was nearing nightfall, and she felt like they weren't getting any closer to their goal. Miroku had instructed her to extend her senses to try to find the grave of the little child, and she had, but she wasn't certain they were heading in the right direction. Association had taught her what something dead felt like, but she'd never searched for the spiritual signature of a grave before.

The mosquitoes were coming out in hordes now, leaving the poor girl slapping and scratching at her exposed skin. Miroku had declared that his status as a monk had forced him to learn the true meaning of endurance, and as such, the efforts of a few measly mosquitoes could hardly affect him. Whenever she wasn't looking, though, he discreetly scratched at the bites. As for Inuyasha… well, he followed behind, arms crossed behind his head and a pleased expression on his face. Apparently there were a few perks to having blood at the same temperature as the outside air. He sped up a bit to walk slightly in front of Kagome, heaving a contented sigh and scratching lazily at his arm before continuing with his relaxed, mosquito-free little stroll. Kagome glared daggers at him, but when it became apparent that this was having no effect, she smacked him as hard as she could on the arm. He nearly stumbled and whirled on her, his fiery temper already kicking in.

"…what? There was a mosquito on your arm," Kagome told him, blinking innocently.

"Maa… you'd think you two were _married_, the way you go at it," Miroku sighed. If the pair could glare daggers, the poor monk would have had about twenty or so lodged in his back in the span of three seconds.

The grass and leaves rustled softly as they brushed past them, but other than that, there was absolutely no sound. No birds chirping, no wind in the trees, no cute and fuzzy forest creatures… nada. Frankly, Kagome found it a little disturbing, but she cheerfully attributed it to the presence of Hiten and Manten, and _not_ the dead kid they were hunting.

Perhaps a little too cheerfully, but one had to keep their spirits up, especially when it was getting very dark and very cold as the night approached. Kagome shivered, rubbing her arms fiercely to try to warm them up a bit. Beside her, Inuyasha watched from the corner of his eye, but said nothing.

"My, what an ugly girl!" Miroku cried. The declaration was so sudden Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin. She glanced around, scanning the trees carefully for whoever the monk was talking about, but the only girl there… was her.

"What?" she snapped, deadpan. Miroku gave her an incredulous look.

"I… didn't say anything," he answered, bewildered.

"Oh come on. I heard you _plainly_."

"You need your ears checked, too! Or isn't that what those flaps of skin on the side of your head are for?" Inuyasha goaded. Kagome clapped her hands over her ears and whirled on the hanyou, her anger diverted.

"You just watch it, or I'll—" she started to threaten the befuddled half-demon.

"Knock him out with your icky smell?" Miroku cut her off. She nearly choked on her words. Icky?

"_What?_"

"What an idiot!" Inuyasha crowed. Kagome turned on him once again, ignoring his wide-eyed stare.

"Wait – I didn't…!" he spluttered, but Kagome wasn't doing a whole lot of listening at the moment.

"_SIT!_" she shrieked, not even waiting to watch the hanyou go down (the _thump_ and muffled curses were gratifying enough) before she gifted the wary monk with her fiery temper.

"And _you_ – what's gotten into you? Can't you at least show some _maturity_?" she hissed. Miroku backed up, raising his hands in what he hoped was a pacifying way. Kagome would have elaborated on what she thought of the wayward holy man, but high-pitched childish laughter cut her off. She stared almost mindlessly at him before she finally realised that it wasn't him at all – and it couldn't be Inuyasha, his voice was too low and rough.

"…huh?" she muttered, scrunching her brow and searching the foliage. Now that she thought about it, the sound didn't seem to be coming from any specific place.

"…you're such a _moron_," Inuyasha spat venomously. "We're hunting a _kitsune child_ – and foxes do nothing but play tricks." He'd managed to lift his upper body off the ground a little and prop himself up on his elbows although the subduing spell hadn't worn off yet. Kagome glanced down at his furious expression and caught sight of the little twigs and leaves caught in his hair. It nearly triggered a bout of nervous giggles.

"Sit, sit," it chanted, shifting into something that sounded eerily like her own voice. Beside her, Inuyasha finally managed to regain his feet, dusting his clothes off disdainfully.

"You… are you the spirit of a lost child?" Miroku called, taking the lead when it became apparent that Kagome wasn't about to.

"No shit," Inuyasha muttered, but was ignored as usual.

"Mortals… _fools_… who dares to enter the forest of Shippou? These woods are cursed; all who enter will _never_ leave with their lives!" it cried, booming with false bravado and dramatic exaggeration. There was a gust of wind and Kagome gave a sharp cry, trying to shield her eyes from the dust and debris that blew up from the forest floor. A strange _pop_ sound echoed in the forest, and grey smoke crept along the ground towards the huddled group. Something moved out in the trees, something large and slow, lumbering through the shadows. Kagome squinted to try to see better, her heart beating fast against her ribcage. _This_ was why she didn't want to meet a ghost.

It was big… it was round… and it was…

…_pink_. It was a large pink ball with one lazy eye and strange stick-like appendages poking out.

"Prepare to meet your doooooooooom!" the pink thing declared. Kagome clutched her bow a little tighter, glancing at her companions to try to figure out what her reaction should be. Scared? Humoured? Questioning her sanity? Miroku looked a little put out, and Inuyasha looked like he wanted to hit something. Which, consequently, he did, once the pink blob got within easy distance of his fist.

"Ow!" it squealed indignantly. With another pop and explosion of smoke, the pink blob shifted to the shape of a small boy glaring at the hanyou from beneath a red tuft of hair while his bushy tail flicked in anger.

"How'd you hit me? I'm a ghost!" he declared, pounding his little chest. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and snatched up the child by the tail, shaking him a little for good measure.

"You're not very good at this, are you? We're the same kind, idiot," he berated. With the boy still in hand, he turned to Kagome.

"Well? Can we hurry up and do this?"

She stared blankly at him while her thoughts worked hard to catch up with the current situation. "What…? Oh. Oh, right," she muttered, frowning. They were here to take care of a ghost so that two youkai would refrain from attacking them. Right.

"Um…" She turned to Miroku helplessly. Her mother had done a few exorcisms before, but she'd never been invited along to those. From what she understood, those instances involved spirits being driven from whatever home or body they infested – whether or not they passed on properly afterwards was of no concern to the priestess or the people. This… was a little different. Shippou was not possessing a person or place, he was _haunting_ his murderers – and she did not intend to merely displace him. She intended to give him peace, if she could.

"I suppose it's time our young friend here thought about moving on," Miroku sighed, taking a few steps forward. He'd performed many exorcisms in his time – granted, most of them were farce for free lodging, but he _was _experienced. Still in Inuyasha's grip the kit began to thrash.

"No no _no_! I'm not going anywhere! I'll avenge my mother and father and stay in these woods _forever_, and there's nothing you can do about it!" he shrieked indignantly. The hanyou shook him roughly again, then smacked him upside the head.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome rebuked him. Almost instinctively (Kagome always _had_ tended to mother things, after all) she rescued the kid from his grip – a stunning turn of events for Shippou, not at all surprising for Miroku, and mildly curious for Kagome. Inuyasha was typically unimpressed.

"You can… you can touch me too?" Shippou warbled. What a failure of a ghost he was – he was even corporeal to the living!

"I suppose you _would_ have that ability, Kagome-sama," Miroku said. Not that it really cleared anything up for poor Shippou.

Kagome was barely listening – she was more focussed on the curious feel of the mischievous little spirit. He was like mist against her skin – she was pretty sure it was comparable to holding a cloud. It wasn't unpleasant at all.

"Don't worry. We won't force you to do anything," Kagome soothed, her smile shining down on the post-mortem child. Inuyasha _hmphed _and looked away, uncomfortable with the warmth and tenderness she was capable of.

"And the Thunder Brothers…?" Miroku prodded.

"We promised to 'stop that nuisance', not kill it. If Shippou leaves the two alone, we're fulfilling our end of the bargain, right?" she reasoned.

'_Kill it'…_ it rang in Inuyasha's ears. What a stupid way to think of the situation – the damned brat was _already_ dead. And there was no possible way this girl gave a shit about it beyond what was considered to be her duty and moral obligation… right?

"I'm not 'leaving' until they're punished! They murdered my mother and father, they murdered _me_, and they have to pay! I have to be strong for my father. I have to bury his pelt, like it's s'posed to be," Shippou declared vehemently. He didn't try to move from his spot in the priestess's arms, though – somehow, although it shouldn't be possible for him to feel it, she seemed… _warm_. Then again, he was quickly beginning to grasp that there were a lot of impossible things about this girl.

"What're you talking about, squirt? You can't get justice for your parents. On top of being weak, you're _dead_, or haven't you noticed?" Inuyasha sneered.

"I know… but I can't… I can't just give up," the fox whined plaintively. He seemed to pull himself together a little more to glare at the hanyou. "But I don't expect _you_ to understand. Hanyou don't know anything about honour!"

"What was that?" Inuyasha hissed dangerously. Sensing the situation was quickly spiralling out of control, Kagome ducked away with Shippou still ensconced in her arms and swiftly changed the subject.

"So, how about we head back, then? I'm sure Shippou will leave those two alone, won't he?" she soothed.

"No I won't, I already told you!"

"Look, Shippou-chan… Inuyasha's right, even though he could put it nicer. You can't kill the Thunder Brothers – do you really want to spend all eternity haunting them? You'll never find peace that way…" Kagome reasoned softly. The fox looked downcast.

"What am I supposed to do, then?" he asked miserably.

"Why don't you come with us?" Miroku offered. Kagome looked up in surprise at the monk, but the idea appealed to her greatly.

"Yeah, you could stay with us until you feel you can move on. I'm sure you'd be a great help Shippou-chan, especially with the undead – unlike _some_ people I know," she said, casting a slanted glance at Inuyasha, who pointedly looked away.

"…really?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course!"

"Do I get a vote?" Inuyasha piped up, but as was the custom, he was ignored.

"The first thing you can help with is to guide us back towards the road," Miroku told the kit. He wasn't at all bothered by the idea of a ghost joining their little troupe – after all, the hanyou was much worse company, in his opinion.

"I thought 'Buddha guides the way,' or whatever shit you like to spout…?" Inuyasha snapped.

"My, but you're just a ray of sunshine, aren't you?" Miroku replied with hooded eyes. Inuyasha smirked, and Kagome sighed tiredly. She gathered up the spirit of the child again, making her way through the woods in the direction that Shippou silently indicated. She figured she had a good ten minutes to get a head start before they realised she'd gone.

"Are they always like that?" Shippou asked, once they were out of earshot.

"Miroku's maturity comes and goes. Inuyasha's attitude is pretty much a constant. It's the only thing about him that's dependable," Kagome sighed irritably.

* * *

As Kagome had predicted, roughly ten minutes after she first started her solo trek back to the wagon, the other two came running up behind her, Miroku considerably put out and Inuyasha pissed beyond all reason. They travelled for roughly another hour before it got too dark to properly see the road and all its hazards, so they set up camp.

Kagome poked idly at their crackling fire, her gaze straying every once in a while to the madly flickering shadows that it threw. It made it impossible to distinguish the dark between the trees and the motion of living (or dead) things, though, so she would have to rely on instinct and luck to alert her to any danger. Youkai were awfully sneaky, though, so it really wasn't a new state of affairs.

Miroku was seated opposite her, his eyes closed in real or feigned meditation and his hands folded together in his lap. Every once in a while, he would clench his gloved hand – Kagome wondered if it was maybe sore or bitten by an insect, but she decided against asking – it didn't seem worth it to interrupt his thoughts. With a sigh, she flopped back on the grass, staring up at a cloudless night and wondering if maybe her little brother was looking at the exact same thing. When they were younger, he used to sneak into her room at night. He'd rub his eyes and yawn, telling his big sister that he had a scary dream, and could he please sleep in her room tonight? Please?

Begrudgingly, she always said yes. She put on a grand show of being put out, but she could never refuse her one and only little brother, pest that he was. They would spend hours staring at the night sky, naming stars and constellations and cloud shapes. In the morning, her mother would come and wake them up, pretending not to have noticed the second little lump under the covers. It was okay – Kagome loved to see that secret little smile her mother wore after such discoveries.

She missed them. _So much_.

Kagome sighed and flipped onto her side, staring at the hanyou. She worried her lip, trying to will away the guilt that flooded her so constantly these days, but naturally it didn't work. She saw the hypocrisy in her own actions, and it ashamed her. Telling Shippou he could stay, that he shouldn't be trapped in the earth's aura to wander, forever lonely… yet condemning Inuyasha to a similar, if not worse, fate?

Maybe she was _supposed_ to find him. Maybe she was _supposed _to free him. Or maybe she was just supposed to die at birth, and this whole misadventure was a terrible fluke. Destiny, in her eyes, wasn't all that dependable. In the end, she would do what she thought was right.

With a small grunt, she hauled herself up, pausing to brush twigs and grass off her clothes before jogging across their campsite to where the hanyou was propped against a tree. He had his legs crossed and his eyes closed – a pose that Kagome secretly hated. When he was limp and relaxed, he looked… well… dead. At least when she could see his eyes, she knew there was _something_ in there.

With the rustling of cloth and vegetation, Kagome took a seat reasonably close to him – close enough to touch, if either wanted it. She sat still for a moment, listening to (and still marvelling at) his breathing, the occasional sigh of wind in the trees, the song of crickets in the thick, long grasses.

"Hey," she prompted softly. He didn't so much as stir, so she tried again. "Hey, Inuyasha…"

"Mm… what?" he answered irritably. She was quiet for a moment.

"I'm sorry."

He finally opened his eyes to look at her after that one, confused and more than a little suspicious. In the dark, she was a pale-faced ghost, and for some reason that made him feel a little more confident, a little less set apart. He decided that when he killed her, it would be at night under a moon just like this.

"What are you 'sorry' for?" he demanded. Kagome stared stubbornly at her feet.

"I'm sorry for… you know… subduing you back there," she elaborated.

"Keh. Like you care," he dismissed peevishly, turning away. To him, that signalled the end of the conversation. Kagome, however, tended to miss such obvious verbal cues.

"Of course I do!" she cried. "You didn't deserve it, and I'm sorry. You hadn't done anything wrong, it wasn't fair. I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have used it so liberally, and for that, I'm sorry."

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably, searching her tone and manner for any sign of sarcasm or lie – in vain, it seemed. What a stupid girl -- worrying for the feelings of dead kits and undead hanyou.

He would definitely have to kill her at night.

"Whatever. What's done is done," he begrudgingly replied, accepting her apology in his own way. She gave no indication whether she sensed this or not.

"Yeah, I can't undo it… but I think I can make it up to you, if you'll let me," she offered hesitantly. He turned to her in his surprise, only to find she was smiling at him through the darkness, friendly and open.

"What?"

"I'll make it up to you. I'll owe you one favour – but a special kind of favour. A 'freebie' – no subjugation, if you tell me not to. How's that sound?" she asked brightly. He stared at her hard, wondering whether she was deceitful, crazy, or incredibly naïve – and then decided it had to be a bit of them all.

"…fine," he accepted, standing and marching off into the woods. Kagome watched him until her human eyes could no longer pick out the red of his clothes from the shadows of the trees, and then she smiled sadly to herself and moved to where her blanket was rolled out. There were so many things she couldn't fix… but maybe she could still make a difference.

* * *

Everybody dreams. Sometimes they don't remember, sometimes they retain snatches, but they always, always dream. Kagome dreams of her family, and the village she used to protect. In her dream, she sees her mother's smile, warm and loving, and her brother tumbling in the grass with another child that is terribly familiar yet unfamiliar to her. She sees her temple, with its weathered wood supports and worn tapestries, and she sees the grove of trees where her father's grave rests. She smiles and laughs and cares for the children, her bow slung over her back and arrows in her fist as the wind whispers in her ear and tells her all is well, she needn't worry. It brings the distant smell of flowers and showers – it will rain soon.

And under the overhang of the temple, where the shadows are night-deep and crawling, a girl stands solemnly, her face pale and eyes black. Kagome knows her face, but doesn't dare look her way – it's cold there.

Miroku's dreams are secrets. He has them silently, wakes silently, and mourns them silently. In his dreams he often sees his father, sometimes smiling and happy, sometimes shrieking in terror, always with a red scarf binding his hand. Sometimes he is in the middle of a storm, sometimes at a funeral, and sometimes the funeral is the scene of a murder – a man is being buried alive.

Miroku guards many secrets, but he thinks that maybe he should share some of them with Kagome. After all, they are very important secrets – and he thinks that soon, she will become tangled in them, whether he voices them or not.

Shippou doesn't sleep, per se, but he does drift, and when he drifts he also dreams...

He sees his parents, alive and well, his father's sinewy form bounding through the fields, his mother's laughing eyes. Every night since he first felt the searing pain of Hiten's weapon ripping through his flesh, first smelled his own skin burning, Shippou's dreams turn to blood. He sees his mother's head ripped from her neck, catches a glimpse of pristine white spine before she crumples. He sees his father fighting and fighting, even as electricity lances over his body and strips his fur. He watches the twisted smiles of the brotherly pair draw closer, and is not surprised to find he is covered in his own blood.

His father is screaming for him to run, to find shelter, to _live_, run run _run_… but then, he is saying something different now, different from all the other nights.

_Wake up,_ his father tells him. _Wake.

* * *

_

Shippou was pretty new at the whole 'spirit' thing. He understood that he was not bound to the physical world anymore, but that he could affect it. He understood that there were energy patterns and auras that surrounded and flowed through every living being, and with a touch of malicious intent, he could twist these and drive people to depression.

So it was with some confusion that he woke from his nightmare, much like swimming up through murky water. What had brought him back to consciousness?

A rustiling, snapping sound alerted him to the approach of another. He tensed, ready for a fight or flight, but he recognised the energy almost immediately after. It was Inuyasha, although where he was coming from was a mystery to the kid. His aura was different… Inuyasha's aura had given him a headache to try to concentrate on before – it was too many different things all at once, and the overall effect was unfamiliar. Now, though, it was _roiling_ – black and angry and seething just under the surface, and twined with all that was _pain_ and _suffering_ and _hatred_.

He stepped out into the clearing and stopped, staring Shippou right full in the face. He looked paler now, more sinister, and Shippou knew instinctively that it was not the light (or lack thereof) that made this effect.

It didn't help that he was covered in blood. Head to toe, matted in his hair, glistening on his fingers, red and wet and dripping.

"You were right," the hanyou admitted softly. It was enough to startle Shippou out of his stupor.

"Eh?"

"About me. About honour." His lips curved into a humourless smile. "I don't know _shit_ about honour."

He rubbed absently at the blood that was coating his arms (it was itching as it dried), crossing the campsite to get to the woods on the other side where Shippou knew there was a river.

"Honour is just a lie. Honour is a made-up code that idiot mortals use to make their lives seem a little less pointless. It's just a way to make themselves feel better as they die. I wouldn't know anything about it – I'm not so stupid to fall for such a thing," he continued. His tone was bitter, lecturing.

"But I know all about revenge."

Shippou clenched his little fists, his head bowed.

"Inuyasha," he called. The hanyou stopped just short of the solemn trees on the other side.

"…thank you."

* * *

_To Be Continued, as usual… (same bat-time, same bat-channel)

* * *

_

A/N: Okay, I admit, this chapter was boring… I'm sorry… I'll do better next time!

Reviews:

_Lake of Fire: _Voila! 'Tis an update!

_Anonymous/jajuana:_ Garth Nix's series is awesome. My favourite is still Sabriel, by far.

_Crimsondemon:_ Things are better when twisted… or sugared up.

_Foxcat:_ Oh dear… I hope this becomes a little more memorable for you. '

_Camudekyu: _Well, that has got to be the most flattering review I've ever gotten. Thanks so very much! I'm happy to hear the descriptions are alright – I sometimes worry that I'm being a little over-the-top. It's funny that you should mention 'tweaking' – the whole concept for this fic came from one little tweak in the story.

_Fire: _Sorry for the long wait! I wouldn't want to kill you… O.o

_LadyPearlDragon: _Sango will show up in due time, don't you worry. She's the only one left, after all. All Hallow's Evening – who is that by?

_MM:_ Or… _is_ it another chapter?

_Ixchen: _Danke!

_Varethane:_ Yes, the dreaded osuwari has come. Mwa ha ha ha! Thanks for the lovely compliments as always – death is a big part of the story (obviously) so it's good to hear that it's fitting in seamlessly. As for the manner of Inuyasha's death… well, you'll just have to wait and see.

_Scherezade7:_ I am willing to leak a few of those secrets… for a price, that is. $476.00, to be exact. And if I told you who Onigumo was, that would be spoiling the plot, ne?

_HMPrune:_ Oh, now I'm feeling bad for taking so long to come out with this chapter. As for your questions… well, I just can't answer them – that would take all the fun out of it. Although I can promise some Sango in the next two chapters or so .

_Call me k:_ Those're some mad skillz you got there, yo. Get yourself an agent and market that shiznit!

_Lady Kira of the North:_ Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it '

_Numisma:_ I have only one thing to say, my dear: ALRIGHT. Ku ku ku…

And I think that's everyone! If I missed you, I'm very sorry '

As always, please review and leave your thoughts! Input is muchly appreciated and very motivating!


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